Where your Focus is, there will your Mind be also
When Julie first showed me how to use a real camera, not just a cardboard disposable film camera, but a legitimate SLR Canon with a fancy lens, one of the things I had to learn was how to focus the shot. With autofocus, you look for where to place a little yellow box, then half-press the main button to cause the camera to focus on that spot, rather than focusing on a mountain in the distant background, or the grass in the foreground. Many phone cameras have a similar feature: tap on the screen where you want to focus. This is important because if you don’t focus on the right thing, the picture won’t turn out right. Focus on the bright sunset, and none of the faces show up. Focus on the distant grizzly bear attacking the overly curious tourist at Yellowstone, and your family members, who you actually wanted in the picture, will be fuzzy and out of focus.
I think a similar idea applies to our daily lives. Where you choose to focus determines the shape of your day. If you focus on all the things that are wrong in this world, or things that are causing you problems, or things that haven’t turned out the way you want, you are likely to go through the day with tense shoulders and a furrowed brow, wondering why everyone avoids you. If instead, you focus on the greater truths we find in Scripture, like the faithfulness of God and His ability to bring peace and joy into your life, then that’s likely where your mind will dwell.
I experienced this in my own heart yesterday morning as I prayed through Psalm 89. The night before I had been thinking about a number of family needs that are out ahead of us in this stage of life, things I think most every family faces (home repairs, vehicles, savings, etc). It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by these. But as I read through Psalm 89, reading a phrase at a time and pausing to pray through it, I kept seeing a familiar phrase over and over, “The steadfast love of the Lord.” As I prayed, I kept thinking about His steadfast love and His faithfulness, and one big truth stood out to me: God has been faithful to provide for us every step of the way in our lives. This caused me to remember so many times when He showed up and provided in ways I could never have imagined. Usually not the way I thought He would or with the timing I would have preferred, but He’s proven himself faithful time and again. Thinking on this, focusing on this truth, rather than the fears or anxieties of the unknown, brought comfort and peace. I walked through the rest of the day focused on the joy of the faithfulness of the Lord rather than the fear of my many unknown anxieties.
So the question for you today is “where is your focus”? Where you put your focus is where your heart, mind, and attitude will likely follow. Try reading through and praying through Psalm 89 this week. This practice will help prepare you for our new series in The Sermon on the Mount starting this Sunday!