Focus

Are you focused? What are you facing today, this week, month, year in your ministry or in your personal lives that has taken your focus off of the author and maker of all things? Oh it's easy to get our focus all messed up. It just takes a few weeds of doubt to get in there and everything becomes an over grown mess. Earlier this week I was out in my garden clearing out some of the weeds. As I was working I began to notice that what looked like a nice bush was actually a weed that was given time to really root and had grown into an over grown mess. It was choking the life out of a cherry tree. A small tree that without help would eventually die. Naturally I went to work cutting away the weed/bush, pruned the cherry tree and we are hoping that it will gain strength before winter comes.

Sometimes that is what happens to us. Our focus is choked out by doubts, worry and darkness. Sometimes we need a reminder to get our focus back on our Lord! I am blessed with many friends and then I have those that are so dear to my heart they are considered family. We recently felt God calling us to another state and decided we could no longer wait to go. So we turned in our resignation and moved ~ no jobs or ministry in place to move to. I have to tell you it is the BIGGEST leap of faith we have taken as a family. During this time my very dear friend Michele has repeatedly sent me a Facebook message of FOCUS! Just to remind me! Many times I needed that word because I wasn't focused and I wasn't looking at Jesus! I was too caught up in the worries of tomorrow, the what ifs... and was having mini panic attacks. Here I am a pastor's wife, children's pastor and yet I was having panic attacks and one simple word like "focus" was all I needed to breathe, relax and remember Jesus was there holding my hand. The Bible tells us to "not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has enough worries of their own." We took a GIANT leap of faith...in fact I have told many it has felt like we are jumping off the top of Mt Everest without a safety net but once again my friend reminded me, "God will never leave you or forsake you." He will be there to catch you and instead of letting you splatter on the ground He will help you to soar! It hasn't been easy to keep that focus through this walk of mighty faith we have taken but I gotta tell ya to see how things are unfolding and how His hand has been in every step is exciting!

~The Bible describes focus very well in these scriptures~

"Keep looking straight ahead, without turning aside. Know where you are headed, and you will stay on solid ground. Don't make a mistake by turning to the right or the left." Proverbs 4:25-27

Keeping our focus while in ministry is truly a must. When we get our sights and thoughts on things that are not of God the only thing that follows is darkness and everything that entails. We have to keep focused on God, His will, His purpose and His plan for our ministries and even more so for our personal lives. Think of Peter when he climbed out of the boat and started to walk towards Jesus on the water... as soon as he took his focus off of Jesus what happened? We all know the story he began to sink. We as ministers must keep our focus on Jesus, without it our ministries suffer as well as our personal lives. Today I challenge you to do what ever it is to keep your focus on Him. If that means getting up an extra 15-30 mins to have your personal devotional time with the Lord or saying no to lunch with friends so you can take that time to pray and get your focus on what the Lord wants, DO IT!