Hey Sis…
I don’t think it’s human nature to focus solely on one thing. At least not for me. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman and a mother, multitasking is in my blood. My super power is the ability to cook, clean, help with homework, drive one kid to his game, take the baby to the doctor, paint the living room and compose a symphony. All at the same time! Or what about driving? If you focus on one sole thing while you are behind the wheel, you will end up in a ditch. In school, we had to learn 10 subjects at once. In college it was 50. These poor kids today, in Kindergarten there are 500 subjects that all need their immediate attention!
But that’s all in our natural lives. In the spiritual, our focus should be on Jesus. Duh! It is a duh, right? Yet it’s not. When everything in life is going great, we are all like “Thank You Jesus! Go God! You rock!”. But when life hits, however it decides to, it is hard to look to Jesus, because the catastrophe is taking all of our attention. And whatever you give attention to, grows.
I remember being a little girl, my mother would drive my brother and I to school. Every morning that the sun was out, she would say “Look at the sun, guys. It’s so pretty”. And it was, as most sunrises are. Every morning I would see it and give my ooohs and aaahs. And every morning my brother would ask, “where?”. “Right there!” we would point. I would place my hands on either side of his head and move his head in the direction of the sun. Every morning. A big orange ball in the middle of the sky and he didn’t see it. It was in his face, so to speak, and he didn’t see it. He needed help to shift his focus. I think that’s how we can get in our Christian walk. Psalms 46:1 says that God is our refuge and strength, a Very present help in the time of trouble. Yet when stuff gets icky, we are quick to ask ‘God where are you?”. Even though He’s right there! We look all around us, and not up, towards Him. That’s where all of our help is going to come from (Psalm 121:1). If we focus on life…sis let me tell you…had I not learned this valuable lesson, I promise I would be licking a wall by now.
Focusing on God in the middle of our mess takes discipline, and training. Practice. Doing it every day, as often as you need to. It’s building a relationship with Him. And that comes through spending time with Him every day. Reading His word, praying to Him, getting around like-minded people. These practices are the hands that turn our heads in the right focused direction, just as my brother needed. All of these things strengthen our resolve to look to Him!! And that, sis, grows our faith.
So sis…where’s your focus?
