We all lose focus, every so often, and for some it’s all the time! Maybe you call Zoning In and Out of the present. Perhaps it’s your daydreaming time. Whatever it may be, you need to reconnect with the present so your loss of focus does not lead you wayward!
Vacation Focus
It was 1993, and my bride and I had saved up vacation like a squirrel stores up acorns for the winter. We were taking 5 weeks and spending the time traveling to and from Alaska. My pastor loaned us his special truck, and we bought a popup camper, and we hit the road for a nearly 12,000 mile driving vacation.
There were multiple reasons for this trip, but I can tell you that it was some of the greatest “lost focus” time I’ve ever spent. Work was on the back burner and it wasn’t even lit! Family situations were constantly popping up, but I felt like they were handled without me…even when I felt I needed to be there.
The key was family. Through the years I’ve learned that the family focus should be a daily thought and not a major trip across the nation experience.
Work Focus
We find that as my bride prepares for retirement from her career, that our focus is changing. We are less interested about the corporate life style, and more focused on preparing for those days when we can take our time getting up and getting gone!
Still, when I have a career to focus on it’s more difficult to chance losing focus because so much happens in a flash! When you are a grunt, then things happen to your role that you have no ability to respond to as it occurs. When you are a leader, then your disconnect can easily mean outhers will flounder and flop like a fish out of water!
What we need to learn to do is to prioritize our focus, and understand what it says about each of us.
Recognize Your Uniqueness
Every day, and every minute of the day, gives you opportunity to rest for a moment, regain your energy, and sharpen your focus on the next task. Very few can keep their focus turned on all day long! We all need those momentary breaks in our schedule to allow for recharging!
Think about your car. Whether battery or fossil fuel, they all need to be recharged and serviced! Checking the fluid levels, braking systems, drive train, and rotating those tires!
All prepare your vehicle to last longer and a good wash and wax ensures the part everyone sees shows you care about your ride!
Here’s the kicker! We need to learn our signals and signs that show us when our focus is fading! Your auto has all kinds of computers that warn you of status. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. You need to understand your systems so you can read between the lines and know what’s going on!
What works for one person will not work for the other. I am uniquely different than you and your needs! And my unique position changes all the time! Equally, what works today may not work tomorrow.
What works for me today may not work tomorrow. Being focused on my changing life keeps me focused on identifying my unique position for the present! Click To TweetChanging Focus
My reading glasses are unique to the needs of my space, and I have several pairs for different operations. Close in, arms length, and, well, I don’t need them past about 4 feet!
What this tells me is that I need to learn to sharpen my focus dependent on what’s in my path to handle. Sometimes I can generically handle life – like driving down a road and there’s noone around; other times I grip the steering wheel with both hands and keep my head on a swivel while I look for danger! “Danger! Danger! Will Robinson!” (Lost in Space from the 1960s’).
Here’s My Thought Today
In my role of life, my focus must turn on a dime” target=”_blank”>change on a dime! It’s all about changing time, choosing different glasses, and even changing clothes! I often leave the house prepared for any eventuallity, but there are times I’m simply not up to the task.
Think about it. Life is in control, but circumstaces change all the time! I often call this, “Drop 10 and punt!” time. Pass the ball, let someone else carry the weight, and be ready for everything to be handled, only not the way you would like it to be done.
Sometimes, our reaction is based on our emotions, and I often find my emotions are suspect! Other times, we’ve trained how we respond by trial runs through real-to-life situations. Think about the benefit of a crash test dummy!
What Would You Do?
There was a TV show a few years back that introduced a persons problem into a real life setting via actors playing a part. Hate. Talking negative. Racist words. Theft. You name it. They did it.
The interviewer would be hiding and watching to see how the public would react, and then before things get out of hand he would step in, introduce himself, and talk about the situation and introduce the actors that played the roles. “What would you do?” is what he would ask the viewing public, because we are often not sure how we would react – but here was an example of how some responded!
Jesus
Imagine the disciples of Jesus for a moment. The very word Disciple simply means Student. In other words, they were with Jesus 24/7/365 and they were simply students. He taught them, tested their knowledge and understanding, and waited for them to not be able to do what he was able to accomplish and come to their rescue.
The disciples of Jesus were simply students called to learn and to become. They were with Jesus 24/7/365! He taught them, tested their knowledge and undestanding, and was there for them when they failed. Click To TweetA man brought his sick child to the disciples and asked for help. It was major and scary! It seemed to the man that there was a spirit in control of his son. When the students could do nothing, the man takes him directly to Jesus.
“… I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out;
and they could not.”
Mark 9:18 (KJV)
Think about the focus of Jesus.
He and his core group of three were just on the Mount of Transfiguration, and then there were questioners and crowds at the bottom of the mountain and Jesus was focused on discussion.
Suddently a need showed up!
Watch his shift of focus from the crowds to the individual. It’s almost like his vision shifted. No longer is he focused on the crowd because there was a desperate need his students could not handle. Jesus not only handled the problem but he showed the answer on how to be successful.
“And he said unto them,
This kind can come forth by nothing,
but by prayer and fasting.”
Mark 9:29 (KJV)
Summary
We all know that thinking things through produces better results than simply reacting to the problem. Some enjoy meditation, and there is plenty of scripture teaching us to meditate on the Word. But we all need prayer and fasting to bring ourselves into subjection to the situations that surround us every day, all day long.