Where Is Your Focus

Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.”

Breakfast, back packs, lunches, permission slips, finished homework, special snack for after school, meetings, seminar notes, commute, dry cleaning, milk- just a running list of things to do and items to get, take, etc.. runs through my mind like a fast moving train as I try to get out the door in the morning. Life is busy.  It is filled to the brim of people to care for, things to do, and places to go.  It is difficult in the deluge of life to keep my focus where it should be.  

Most humans are not content to take one step at a time.  We want to take several and we want to know where the steps are leading, how many we need to get there.  The journey for us as Christians has many steps, twists and turns.  Too many times we become focused on the journey instead of the one leading the way. 

The journey entails learning to trust, to ignore the distractions of life and focus on God.  Frequently we start out on the journey gung-ho, full of energy and drive.  Then, the journey becomes tiring, requires some effort, takes time, and often is not easy. The conditions of the journey no longer appear as inviting as when we first started out. So, put little effort into it or quit. Ecclesiastes 11:4 tells us that “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done”.

Proverbs 24:16 tells us that “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.” God does not reject us in our weakness; rather He is there to carry us, to help us, and to love us.  Philippians 1:6 says “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” So dear one, continue the journey, though it may be hard for God is at work in you, He will work out His plan for you.  The journey may be long, but the final destination is worth it all. So, focus on the One leading the way.

The song by Helen Lemmel says:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
  In the light of His glory and grace.”

Digging deeper: Psalms 62:8; Isaiah 40:11; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 6:33-34; Hebrews 12:1-3; Psalm 138:8; Psalm 37:3; Philippians 4:8