Focus

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. -

Isaiah 26:3

Where is your focus?

My friends like to tease me about having social ADD. I have a hard time focusing on a single conversation in a social setting. Especially if there are multiple conversations going on around me. I say I’m just nosey. I want to hear what everyone is saying about everything, and in doing so, I fail to give the person with whom I’m speaking the proper amount of respect and attention. Conversely, I sometimes have a tendency to become hyper-focused on one thing to the exclusion of everything around me. My secretary has to physically touch me, at times, if I’m deep in thought about an issue. My mind shuts everything around me off, and I don’t hear the phone ring or even people speaking directly to me. When a moment like that occurs, it’s a struggle to bring myself back into full awareness of the environment I’m in.

It’s so easy for us to allow that to happen in our thought lives. An issue grabs our attention and we become so intent on it that we hardly recognize that we’re stuck in a loop of thought that is negative or even at times self-destructive. Our physical and spiritual lives can suffer as a result because we fail to realize the damage that our ill-focused thoughts are doing to the rest of our being.

With everything going on in the world in 2020, many people are having this kind of problem. They’ve lost their ability to focus on the important things, or even worse, they’ve become hyper-focused on one issue or problem. The coronavirus or the election have become the only topic of conversation or thought for some people. It becomes obvious when any conversation with someone leads only to the topic that they’ve become hyper-focused on. It seems like anything that is said is twisted to include their favored topic and an attempt to turn the conversation to other topics is barely even recognized.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2

God calls us, as Christians, to place our focus on higher things. We have a responsibility that is higher than the earthly problems we face on a day to day basis. We are to be about the things of God, we have the Great Commission to take the gospel to the lost. That command isn’t just for pastors. We are all responsible to carry the good news to non-believers. Far too easily we become too focused on worldly things to consider the other-worldly implications of our actions. When we allow ourselves to become too focused on the world, we risk losing our ability to witness effectively.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

We are all representatives of our Lord and Savior. There is that great quote “Be careful, you may be the only Bible some person ever reads.” There will be things that frustrate us in this life, but we should be careful that our angry outburst is not how some poor soul views Christianity in its whole. I had a dear friend who didn’t darken the door of a church during his life because as a young man he heard a preacher make an unsavory remark. Even as I tried to reason with him, he said, “You Christians are no better than the rest of us, you just like to pretend you are.” It broke my heart as I agreed whole-heartedly that we are no better, we just have a relationship with the One who is. I never heard of him coming to know Jesus before he left this life. We will all fail from time to time, that much is inevitable, but we should put forth every effort to avoid becoming a stumbling block for someone. And when we do fail, we have a responsibility to own up to our mistakes, and ask for forgiveness, something that isn’t always easy.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Phillipians 3:20

We may be residents of this world, but we no longer belong here. There was a great sermon on this subject during our revival this summer. An incredible reminder that this world is not our home, and we should behave accordingly. Not only should our behavior reflect our homeplace, but our joy should reflect it as well. If our minds are stayed on the Lord, how can we not be joyful, even under trying circumstances such as the ones we’re living in today

Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established Proverbs 16:3

Becoming committed to keep God first and foremost in our life is the correct way to bring our thoughts and actions into focus. Through continued study, prayer, and worship, we are reminded who we are and who we serve. True joy comes through maintaining a close relationship to the One who had bought and paid for us with His precious blood. Focus on who you are, where you belong, and who you represent, in that way we can keep our minds stayed on Him, and the cares of this world will not become overwhelming.

“God is good ALL THE TIME, and all the time… God is good” Praise Him for it! Focus on that, and your fears and concerns will become easier to bear.