4:298 – Focusing On One Thing!

#faithbites #faithjourney focusing

Setting

There is a restaurant chain in St Louis called Raising Cane’s. They have 5 things on their menu: Chicken Fingers, Fries, Coleslaw, Cane’s Sauce, Texas Toast, and drinks. That’s it. No burgers, dogs, onion rings, chicken breasts, fish, breakfast sandwiches, nothing. Just chicken, slaw, toast, drinks, and one sauce. I can tell you from experience, we got a ton of their chicken fingers and they were very very good. They know what success is by focusing on one thing.

My youngest is my mini-me. During her parent-teacher conference, her teacher said she’s great. The one problem is she has trouble focusing on one thing. She gets distracted and wanders. I tried not to chuckle as that was me growing up. So many things going on, so hard to keep focus on one thing.

Today’s Questions: What do you focus on? How do you keep your focus on what is important in life?

Scripture

• Phillippians 3:14 –  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
• Proverbs 4:25 – Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
• Romans 8:5 – Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.

Reflection

We need to keep the focus on God in all things. That doesn’t mean we just read the Bible and go to church. Our effort can be in art, music, yard work, construction, medicine, just about anything as long as we keep God at the center. When we don’t focus, we get led into temptation. We try to one-up people who have spent their lives perfecting a craft or we lash out when we aren’t good enough at something right away. Sometimes, I’m like a dog with a bone and don’t know why I’m not an expert at all things. This is that lack of focus.

We need to find ways to keep our focus on God. Maybe it’s a task list or a daily routine where you pray, meditate, and write down what you need to accomplish. Maybe it’s reaching out to a friend to help balance you in Christ for the day. Whatever it is, we all need something to wake us up and help us focus on that one thing. Of course, we can grow and try new things, we just need to avoid obsessing and keep following Jesus.

As we close, remember that having multiple interests is ok. We can do that while keeping our focus on what matters most: Jesus.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for giving us the spirit of adventure and trying new things. We can get distracted by why shiny things and lose our focus. We ask you to help us stay connected to you at all times. Remind us what is important. Forgive us when we fail, when we get angry, or when our focus is on worldly things. We love you and know that you will keep us on the right path. We pray all these things in your name, Amen.