Focus!

I have a problem. It’s a fairly serious problem that I can usually find lingering in my life to some degree, and I can never seem to get rid of it completely. Although at times it does seem to subside and leave me in peace, most of the time it’s there, making my life so much less than it could be. The problem is focus; more specifically, keeping my focus on God.

Although I write this blog each week and often talk about my relationship with God as if I’m some kind of super-spiritual person, that is definitely not the reality. Yes, I do have a relationship with God and my base level of love and devotion to Him is probably above average if you consider all of the people in the world who call themselves Christians. But my life is still far from what God wants it to be.

That’s because I have a hard time focusing on the things that God finds important. Even in the times that I feel closest to Him, I still seem to get so easily distracted by things of this world. My day-to-day life is centered on me. What am I going to do today? What do I need to get done? How am I going to make this day more enjoyable for myself?

Now, don’t get me wrong; I am kind to people and I do things for others often enough. But it’s all mostly minor stuff that doesn’t take too much of my time and effort. My first priority most of the time is me. And while there is definitely a certain merit to taking care of yourself first so that you can then give more to others, there is no excuse at all for putting yourself before God. He longs to be the first priority in your life, above anything else. The great thing about it is that when you do put Him first, your life is transformed! I’ve experienced it once or twice in my journey so far, and I can tell you for certain that life lived in any other way is simply not comparable.

So why do I falter? Why do I lose my focus on God? Well, to put it simply, life gets in the way. That’s no excuse, of course, just an explanation. I get caught up in the things going on in my own life, caught up in my business and my to-do list. The fact is, I’m a human and I was born on a very distracting planet called Earth. But God calls us to be so much more; He calls His children to be in this world but not of it. As a Christian, this is one thing I think I will probably have to work on as long as I’m here. Sometimes, I just need a reminder that this is not my home. Heaven is my home, where I will be with God forever, and I need to remember to store up treasures there, not here.

The word “treasures” can mean many things. To me, one of the biggest treasures is leisure time. I am happiest when I have plenty of time to relax and do what I want. The funny thing is, the more leisure time I have the more I want. I start to feel lazy and unmotivated, and every little thing I have to do becomes a chore. Pretty soon, I want all of my time to be leisure time. I don’t want to do anything!

If you think about it, this actually makes a lot of sense. I’m storing up treasure (leisure time) on earth and it only satisfies me temporarily because it is temporary. Life on earth doesn’t last forever. And nothing on earth can satisfy us the way that God can. He is the only source of true, everlasting satisfaction.

The same principle can apply to money, possessions, food, comforts, achievements… even relationships! It applies to everything and anything that we “collect” in this life. They may satisfy us in the short term, but pretty soon we want more. On the other hand, God is quite the opposite—He satisfies us completely for as long as we continue to look to Him for our joy.

So what is to be done about this problem of mine?

It’s rather simple, actually; I need to put God first. I need to make Him the first and last thing I think about each day. I need to make time to read His word and pray to Him throughout the day. I need to ask myself, “What would Jesus do?” in all situations. I need to say “yes” to opportunities He puts in my path to be His hands and feet in this world. I need to go to church consistently to learn as much about Him as I can, and I need to worship Him wholeheartedly when I’m there. I need to be present and open with my small group, the group of girls who God put in my life so that we can support each other in our walks with Him. These are all things that I need to do, not out of obligation or a legalistic checklist approach to God, but because they are all part of seeking Him. And I want to seek Him with all of my heart, because I love Him and He loves me and He has put that desire in my heart. Most of all, I know what life is like when I seek Him, and I miss it.

To all my non-Christian readers, I ask you this; do you dare find out what a difference Jesus can make in your life?

To my fellow believers: is God sitting in His rightful place in your life? Either way, there’s always room for growth.

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