The quarterback keeps his attention down field even while taking the hit. 

I have noticed something in American football over the years. Here’s the sequence. Quarterback takes the snap. Quarterback drops back looking for a receiver down field. Quarterback throws just ahead of being tackled. Quarterback, while being tackled, works to continue looking down the field at the intended receiver.

Can I tell you how it would be for me if I were the quarterback?

Take the snap, drop back, throw down field, miss, take the hit from the defender, lay on the ground looking up to the sky in pain. My instinct would not be trying to look down the field while being tackled. 

I think it a good metaphor. Keep looking down the field. The tides of life push problems right up into our face. The big problems like death, job loss, and sickness. The little problems that are too numerous to count. 

The instinct with problems that are in our face is to shift our focus to them. After all, like the football defender they are right there! But we must keep looking down the field and avoid the temptation to refocus.

Easy for this armchair quarterback to say, but hard to remember in the heat of the moment. 

Keep looking down field.