Focus and Refocus

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:1-2

Do you ever lose focus of God?  When I got home, the house looked like utter chaos.  This left me in a very bad place mentally, and I sat in silence trying not to let the spirit of anger get the best of me.  As I calmed down and reflected on the moment, I realized that my focus on God was totally gone at that moment.  While I am glad I did not say anything that would have really caused problems, it occurred that I needed to do better focusing on God then, and then refocus today when I have my discussion with my family over what happened the night before.

Keeping our focus on God allows for positive outcomes in our lives.  Paul’s comments in Hebrews point out both the necessity of focusing on Jesus Christ as well as hindrances and sin that can take us off that path.  Hindrances are the things we have full control of that are good but not God centered (tasks that take time away from God focused activities or prioritizing tasks above God).  Sin is the thing that can control us that are bad (anger, defiance, impure acts).  Both are serious issues, but if we can discipline ourselves to refocus when we lose the path (daily prayers, structured reading of the word, devotion reading), we can maintain that focus that is so important to our walk of faith.

The pathway to God is not an easy one to follow.  We may fall down, but we have a loving God who has shown us grace through Jesus Christ, and like all great teachers, He has patience with and love for us to watch us learn and grow.  Thus, we must as Paul says, “Fight the good fight of the faith,” to maintain our focus on God (1 Timothy 6:12).  How do you maintain focus on God?  What structure can you use to refocus on God when it’s lost?  My prayer is that in challenging times, we both focus and refocus on God.  Amen.