Out of Focus

     One of the things I have noticed I do when I run, is watch the ground. I focus on the road immediately ahead of me and press on. I get so focused on said road in fact, that I sometimes miss some dangerous and beautiful things coming at me. It got me thinking about how we do that in our everyday lives as well. We get so wrapped up in the immediate that we forget to look around at the work God is doing.

     

     Sometimes I'm so caught up in my run that I miss dangerous things coming at me. Like cars, dogs, road construction, etc. (Not really the road construction. Okay maybe. But just once!). I'm so busy not paying keen attention, that I almost injure myself. I'm only saved when my sweet running partners snap me out of it at the last moment. The same thing is true with our walk. We get so focused on the daily grind, that dangerous temptations can just sneak up on us out of no where. Bam there it is. That same old sin that catches us every time. "I didn't see it coming!" we say. But then again, do we ever? I think if we were more focused on what was going on around us, we could see the yellow flags coming and flee. The author of Hebrews tells us "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." (Hebrews 2:1 NIV). Sin is all around us and we have to watch out for it. Our enemy is sneaky; he likes to catch us when we aren't paying attention.

     We also can get so focused on the here and now that we miss the beauty that surrounds us. I have been on many runs at sunrise and I miss the beautiful pictures our Creator is painting in the sky. I've missed magnificent lightening storms. I've missed the simple beauty of the trees and the flowers in the spring and summer, and the subtly changes of the leaves happening now. God excels in creating beauty out of messes. Read the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, "You make beautiful things; you make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things; you make beautiful things out of us." (Gungor, 'Beautiful Things') Every day, every minute, God is creating beauty out of your life. My charge to you (and myself) is that we are actively aware of that beauty. Next time we're so focused on the mess that our house is in, take a second and look at the beautiful family God has blessed you with. The belly laughs, the silliness, the impromptu kisses from a toddler. When we are so caught up in our finances and bills, sit back and look at your spouse. The wonderful life you are creating together. The love legacy you're leaving. When we are so caught up in the politics of the church, sit back and enjoy the beauty that is the Church. The bride of Christ. Your brothers and sisters. Listen to the raised voices of praise to the one true God and King.

     So go, be watchful, keep an eye out., your God is with you in it all. And plus, you never know what He can do when you pay attention."There's a really big world at your fingertips, and you know you have the chance to change it." (Britt Nicole, 'The Lost Get Found')