Last weekend I had the opportunity to give my time and attention to caring for two young dogs while their owners were away for the weekend. These four-legged boys, affectionately known as Bill and Blue, belong to my son and daughter in law. They have been raised in the same home since they were puppies and seem to enjoy each other’s company, but they are very different.
Bill is a Goldendoodle, a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle, and is usually running around the yard with his tongue hanging out and a smile on his face. He appears to not have a care in the world and just wants to enjoy the moment. Blue is a German Wirehaired Pointer. He is a hunting dog and constantly has his nose to the ground and always seems to have something on his mind. Both are a bundle of energy and one of my favorite things to do with them is to release some of that intensity with a game of fetch. They have quickly learned that I will not throw the ball until they are in a sitting position. When their posture is correct and I fling the ball, they bolt like lightening in the same direction, but as I observed them over and over again, I noticed a distinct difference in their approach.
Blue is a little older and I would say is the more dominant of the two, and he clearly displays that he wants to be the winner, but Bill is completely focused on the ball. Many times over, Blue would be the first one to get to the area where the ball landed, but Bill would secure the ball because he hadn’t taken his eyes off it. Even if Bill doesn’t win the toss-up, his eyes are on the ball until it is dropped back at my feet and the process begins all over again.
Apparently, God is trying to tell me something about the idea of being focused. The topic has come up over and over again in my devotional readings, at the eye doctor, at our staff retreat, and even while observing a couple of hounds. The focus of my physical eyes got distorted at the ophthalmologist when numbing drops were placed in my eyes and my pupils were dilated. But my spiritual eyes get out of whack when I give my attention to lesser things. When I focus on my to-do list, vacation plans, events on the calendar, and worries of my heart, it is easy to get distracted and forget where my focal point should be. My problems become my focus, rather than my Provider. Our attention has a way of magnifying things and no matter how much I want to keep my eyes on Jesus, distractions are always right beside me. The struggle is real.
At a staff retreat earlier this week, part of our schedule was to just be with Jesus… to hang out, to listen, to enjoy being in his presence. Through God’s presence in his Word, and his presence in Creation, I became aware of some problems with my focus. I needed to step back and see the bigger picture. I needed to look at things from a different angle. I was reminded that he has the whole world in the palm of his hand, including me and all my concerns.
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to throw off everything that hinders and entangles us and to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. That’s where I want my focus to be. I want to be fixated on my Savior and Friend, to not only have the desire to play the game and run the race, but to be so utterly captivated by Jesus that everything else is put into perspective.
So how about you? Do you need to adjust your focus? Have you been giving your attention to everything but Jesus? Ask Jesus to help you fix your eyes on Him and everything else will fall into place. Starve your distractions; feed your Focus.
Erin Jacobsma