Refining Your Focus

Matthew 5:16 – ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’

We have a limited, self-centered view of the world, don’t we? Especially when we get into trouble, we become hyper-focused on ourselves. What do we tend to do when we run into a stumbling block or fall on hard times in our lives? Well, in my case… I worry, I panic, and I try to figure it all out on my own. Every detail. I have to have a plan. If I can just do this…then I’ll be okay. We tend to get so caught up in our own worries and anxiety about our current situation, we fall down a rabbit hole sometimes and forget about everything else.

But, what should we be doing? Well, I’ll tell you. We should be hitting our knees. Praying, leaning into God and trusting, reading His word and staying in our faith. There’s something else too though. Have you ever been trying to remember something or figure something out and the answer just isn’t coming? The instant you take your focus off of that and onto something else you get that a-ha moment. It hits you…’oh yeah! I remember!’ What about when you’re struggling with something particularly hard? Stewing and worrying and focused on how hard your life is, then you meet someone fighting a battle that makes yours seem almost silly. Suddenly, your battle doesn’t seem quite so big, does it?

We need to remember that when we’re going through hard times to not get so caught up and bogged down in our own problems that we forget to focus on the world around us. In other words, lift your head up out of the fog of your own issues and work on being a blessing to someone else. Focusing on others not only takes our mind off of our own worries, at least for a bit, but it fulfills God’s command to love our neighbor. It serves as a way to spread His word and His love to the world outside of our own self-centeredness.

I’m reminded of the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the story. A Jewish man walking on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was beaten, robbed and left half dead. He was passed by and ignored by a priest and a Levite. The one man willing to lend aid was a Samaritan. Someone who traditionally should have been at odds with the man and the quickest to ignore him. He not only tended to his wounds, but put him up in an inn, clothed him , and paid the owner of the inn to continue taking care of him. Thankfully for that beaten, ailing man, the Samaritan was willing to look past his own proclivities and cultural biases. Looking past himself and his own issues to lend aid to someone in need.

Luke 10: 36-37 ‘Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was a neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then Jesus said, Go, and do thou likewise.’

When we moved to Texas from Washington, we could definitely see God’s hand and guidance in it all. He placed John and I in good jobs right away. We were provided the means for the move, to re-roof our house so we could sell it, and even the cash to buy our new home outright, in an extremely competitive sellers market, so we could have a place to land when we hit town. We actually owned our new home 2 weeks before we ever saw it in person.

In all of that, we knew it was the right move. We knew that God was leading us here to Texas. But why? I have no doubt that if we would’ve stayed in Washington we would have both been unemployed. My company was going through a buyout and John’s was on the verge of bankruptcy. With the cost of living being what it is up there (and getting more expensiveall the time), we couldn’t have survived. We’ve both analyzed and discussed the reasons and blessings of God’s leading us here and what it meant for us. But was that the only reason?

My point being is that we have such a pre-inclination to see things from our own limited, self-centered perspective of the world that we forget that God’s perspective is infinite. He knows it all, doesn’t He? He sees the big picture, the final picture. He knows every path you’re going to take and every person you’re going to meet. My sister from another mister pointed something out to me that I hadn’t even considered. She said ‘yes, God moved you down there and blessed you with all these things and people to surround you. But what if that’s not the only reason. Maybe He moved you down there to be a blessing to someone else too. Maybe someone else needed you there.’ (insert light-bulb moment!)

I had been so focused on how this move had affected us, I hadn’t even considered the possibility that maybe God had a bigger plan. That maybe moving us here was meant to be a blessing to others He placed in our path as well. I just needed to lift my head out of my own issues and look around me… to be that Good Samaritan for someone else. Isn’t that it’s own blessing? Giving to others, blessing others? There’s nothing like the feeling of being there for someone when they really need it. Being able to give of yourself to another person in need is truly fulfilling.

Our church has a sign posted beside the driveway as you’re leaving the parking lot that reads ‘You are now entering the mission field.’ So that’s my mission… to keep looking for ways I can be a blessing to someone else. Even if all you can give or do seems small to you, it may be monumental to them. Most of the time, just knowing someone cares enough to do that for you means the world.

Look, I know life gets hard. With everything going on in our world these days, it feels nearly impossible not to get caught up in our own troubles. However, my advice is to put your worries aside, hit your knees and lay them at God’s feet. Stop focusing those things getting you down and lift your head up out of that fog of stress to see what kind of a blessing you can be to others. You’ll feel worlds better.

Galatians 6:2 – ‘Bear ye one another’s burden, and so fulfill that law of Christ.’