Target Fixation
I saw the racing epic "Grand Prix" in 1966, and ever since I've wanted to be a race car driver. However, Reality and Responsibilities interfered-so I've settled for driving high performance cars really fast. Not on the street, mind you- but on various road courses. What we Car Geeks call "High Performance Driving Events". The Track Bug bit me so hard that I now instruct other drivers. I enjoy instructing and I usually get a couple of hours of free track time as part of the package. I eventually noticed that many of my fellow instructors were also fooling around with motorcycles, so I just HAD to add an old Triumph bike to my garage. Being dumb but not stupid, I also signed up for a Beginning Riders Course. I soon discovered that several high performance driving methods also apply to bikes.
One of the most important of these shared concepts is something the car guys call "Ocular Driving". Motorcyclists often refer to it as "Target Fixation". Whatever you call it, the idea is to look at where you want to go, NOT at what you are trying to avoid. Another shared practice is looking down the road as far as you can; the further away you can identify a problem, the more time you have to evaluate and respond to the unexpected. And, while drivers and riders alike need to watch their mirrors, their primary concern must be on what lies before them-not behind behind. As an instructor I have to constantly tell novice students to watch the road and not the hotshoe on their back bumper; once they begin to focus on their mirrors their technique begins to suffer. Badly.
Now, it is doubtful that the Apostle Paul was an ace chariot driver, but it's clear that he understood the fundamental concepts:
"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14)
I don't know about you, but I really need to take Paul's exhortation to heart. I all too often find myself lamenting the past, or worrying about an often speculative problem. And-like the driver who stares at an object he's trying to avoid-I wind up in a spiritual ditch. I wonder what would happen if we made a determined effort to keep our heads up and focus our attention on Christ and the eternal home that He has prepared for us. Don't misunderstand me; I am not suggesting that we abandon our current responsibilities and lie around awaiting the Rapture. However, I do believe we spend far too much time allowing ourselves to be worn down and ensnared by the petty struggles of this world. I wonder how different our lives would be if we simply looked where we want to go.
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