Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you. (Proverbs Chapter 4, Verse 25, New International Version)
This morning the Spanish NIV translation of this verse opened my eyes to something I really needed to see.
Pon la mirada en lo que tienes delante;
fija la vista en lo que está frente a ti.
Essentially the message speaking to my heart was, “Open your eyes, face into the most immediate issues confronting you. Focus your attention on what you must deal with first.” This is really good advice for me. I tend to procrastinate. Now I consider this passage as anti-procrastination counsel. I no longer consider it a mandate to walk the path of life oblivious of what’s happening around me.
To see if my new understanding was consistent with the meaning of the passage, I checked out the French in La Bible du Semeur:
Regarde les gens bien en face,
et que ton regard soit dirigé droit devant toi.
This translation adds an additional dimension to my understanding. When I deal with people, I establish eye contact. No evasive side glances.
Well, now to get on with the challenges of the day with renewed determination to face into situations, to do those things I have been putting off and to keep eye contact human to human.