Where is my FOCUS?

 I absolutely love the Fall. The colors, the crisp air, the beauty of it all! It is truly my favorite time of year. The other day a few of my boys and I were driving on a rainy fall day. There were dreary clouds and very little sunshine, however, we were able to capture some amazing pictures.

  

  

 

As I took the next two pictures I thought a lot about the word FOCUS.

 

We could have easily focused on the rain drops and dreary clouds and wet roads. We could have missed the beauty of that crisp fall day! It got me thinking about all the times I have focused on my circumstances and ignored the blessings in the midst of the struggles. I thought about the hard times when the majority or my words focused on the dreariness. I have faced tough circumstances. It is so easy for my focus to be on the hard things during those times. 

"Whatever we focus our attention on is what will dominate our thoughts." Andrew Wommack

It's understandable how easy it can be to focus on all the bad things that have happened to us in our lives. It is also understandable when we have had trial after trial for those trials to be the center of our conversations with others. The focus of our thoughts can't help but come out in our conversations. Even though it is hard to admit, when we are so focused on our hard times we want others to focus on them as well. It might be that we are seeking understanding, support, attention, or just listening ears. I actually do not believe there is anything wrong with sharing our struggles with others, as long as we are willing to allow those we are sharing with to speak truth back to us in an effort to help us change our focus back on where it should be...on Jesus! 

We are called to bear each other's burdens. We NEED others to help us bear our burdens. God's Word shows us how important this is. It's the beauty of the body of Christ! However, when we take our focus off Christ and instead only focus on all the struggles, pain, loss, heartbreaks, depression....all the bad...we make it very hard for others to help us bear those burdens. It is ok to need others to help us through, but we must keep asking ourselves if we are allowing them to actually "help us through", or are we content with keeping our focus stuck on the bad?

I have had a tough few months. I started realizing how quickly my focus had shifted. I desire to get my focus back on Christ, to fix my eyes on Jesus. I know I will continue to face hard times. I know there will be loss, heartbreaks, and disappointments ahead. I will probably continue to struggle with anxiety and depression. I know people are going to let me down and I will let people down. How do I know this? We live in a fallen world! Life is not easy. No matter how hard we try, we will face hard things. We are promised this! However, we are also promised that we will not go through these times alone. 

So my challenge to you is this....fix your eyes on Jesus at all times. Fill your mind with scripture so you will have no room for lies from the enemy. Be transformed by the renewal of you mind. Focus on God, not your problems. Listen to God, not your insecurities. Rely on Jesus, not your own strength. Have a teachable spirit. Forgive quickly, seek forgiveness even quicker, and love deeply! Most importantly, don't give up!! He who began a good work in you WILL bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ!! OH, what a glorious day that will be!! 

Grace and Peace,

Jeanette