While crossing the US-Mexican border on his bicycle, Pedro Gonzalez was stopped by a border guard who pointed to two sacks Pedro had on his shoulders. “What’s in the bags?”, asked the guard. “Sand,” said Pedro.”Get them off – we’ll take a look,” said the guard. Pedro did as he was told. He put down the two sacks and poured out the contents. Sure enough, they contained nothing more than sand. The border guard stood there scratching his head for a while then he told Pedro to empty his pockets. Pedro complied by pulling his pockets inside out revealing that there was nothing in them. The Border guard was sure that this Mexican was a smuggler. Even so, he told Pedro that he was free to go. So Pedro carefully scooped up the sand in his hands and reloaded the two sacks. Putting them back on his shoulders, Pedro continued across the border.

       A week later, the same thing happened. Again the border guard stopped Pedro and demanded to see what was in the two sacks. Once again, they contained nothing but sand. As Pedro was leaving, the border guard thought to himself, “Maybe he’s just testing me! Maybe he’s going to keep doing this hoping that I’ll quit searching his sacks! Well, I know he’s got to be a smuggler so I’ll keep stopping him and searching his bags. That Mexican won’t fool me!” This went on every week for six months. Each time, the border guard found nothing but sand in Pedro’s sacks

       One day, the Border guard was waiting for Pedro to appear with the sand bags. He was convinced that Pedro was guilty of smuggling something into the U.S. This time he was going to find out what it was! However, Pedro failed to appear.  A few days later, the guard happened to meet Pedro in El Paso. “Say friend, you sure drove me crazy”, said the guard. “I knew you were smuggling something across the border. I won’t say a word – but what were you smuggling across the border? I know you had to be smuggling something!” A big grin spread across Pedro’s face and he replied, “Bicycles!”

       The border guard had his eyes on the wrong things.  His eyes were focused on the sacks Pedro was carrying!  If he had focused on what Pedro was riding, he could have seen that it was a different bike each time!  His eyes were on the wrong thing!

— Hebrews 12:2:  “Looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of (our) faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”