Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Focus! Focus!

I’m a person who has to work extra hard to stay focused especially when there are distractions.  

In my childhood, there were many occasions in elementary school while taking a spelling test that I became distracted.  

One of those crazy spelling words would send me into an amazing daydream.  It would go something like this.

Teacher: “Number four-spell pool.  I like to swim in the pool. Spell pool.”

Everyone else would hurriedly write down the spelling word, but not me!  

Me: Pool, I wish I had a pool.  I like to swim.  If I had a pool in my backyard, I’d swim all day long.  I’d have my friends over, and we’d dive into the water.  The temperature would be perfect in my pool—never too cold or too hot.

Then I’d hear the teacher say: “Number ten-jump.  Jump up and down for joy.  Spell Jump.”

Me:  Panic set in as my body became all hot and prickly.  I had daydreamed through five spelling words.  This scene played out over and over all through my elementary school years.

I admire a person who can remain on task during a bombardment of distractions.  In the Bible, Nehemiah is that kind of man.  

He is trying to rebuild the wall and get the doors in place, he is continually being distracted, but unlike me, he stays the course.

In Nehemiah 6:2-4 (TLB) it says this;
…they sent me a message asking me to meet them in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to kill me, so I replied by sending back this message to them: “I am doing a great work! Why should I stop to come and visit with you?”
Four times they sent the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.

Here are a few things we can learn from these verses and apply to our lives. 

First, when we are about God’s business, there will always be opposition to what we are doing.  Be faithful to what you know God has called you to do in the face of naysayers.  

Second, don’t allow distractions to pull your focus from the task at hand.  

At any time in the process, Nehemiah could have stopped to deal with any of the numerous distractions that were constantly coming up, but he stayed the course.  He kept his focus on the things that mattered.

What is pulling your attention away from the important task of all Believers--the great commission?

Start this year with a plan to be an intentional witness for the Lord then...

Focus!  Focus!


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