This morning I had a conversation with someone on the phone that really got me thinking. This individual is looking for some answers to a particular situation they’re facing in life right now, and they’re feeling pretty lost at the moment.
The ultimate question that I asked was, “What is your focus?” I could tell through our conversation that this person is focusing time, energy and money in all the wrong areas and on all the wrong things.
Focus is incredibly important to our lives. With it, we have a sense of purpose and direction, our passions and energies multiply, and we find success in our plans. Without it, we have no purpose, we feel no direction, and we feel physically, mentally and spiritually tired. It’s like wandering aimlessly in a desert with no idea where to go.
The power of focus can be seen when we look at light. Diffused light has little power and makes little impact, but by focusing it, you can concentrate its energy to make things happen. Maybe as a kid you did what I did and used a magnifying glass to set something on fire. For the purposes of this blog post, let’s just say I caught a “leaf” on fire. Don’t worry about it….
The point is that when you focus light, it becomes more useful. More powerful. When you focus enough light into a laser beam, you can even cut through steel. Focus brings power.
The key is focus. Paul knew this. That’s why he wrote in Philippians 3, “I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”
If you want laser-beam focus and power in your life, that’s the key. Forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead.
As far as the past goes, it’s just that…past. Gone. Behind. No longer your present. The Bible says that no matter what is in your past and where you’ve been, when you ask God to forgive it He removes the dirt and stains of your past and He forgets them completely. They’re gone, so you need to forget them too.
As for the future, you probably don’t know exactly what lies around the bend. If you do, you’re better off than I am. You should write a book or something. No, most likely you don’t have any more of a clue than I do, or anyone else for that matter. Instead, we have to have faith in God and trust Him to give us the “hope and a future” that He promises to us as His children.
So how do you get this focus?
- Cut out the fat. Eliminate needless things from your life that drain your time and energy. Instead, invest your time and energy in things that matter in light of eternity.
- Ask God to help you forget the past. Ask for the strength to forgive others who have wronged you. Pray for the courage to ask others to forgive you for the ways you’ve hurt or damaged your relationships. Let go of the past.
- Put your trust in God to provide for your future. It’s not a switch you flip; learning to trust God takes time and prayer. But the more you learn about God, the more you trust Him. So read your Bible, pray, and give your money and time to God. Tithe and volunteer. See if that doesn’t change your life and bring focus.
The bottom line in all of this is that unless you have a goal or a destination, you’ll never accomplish anything. So don’t sit around and wait for God to email you a Google map with step-by-step directions for your life attached. God’s will for you is that you enjoy life and bring Him glory through your time in this world. Other than that, the sky’s the limit. Set goals, realize that it’s ok to daydream, and ask God to pave the road, or to shut the door if He has something better in mind. Then buckle up and get ready for the ride.
Focus is everything. Take a few minutes today to think about how you can get focus in your life and make the maximum impact you can make.
