Focus

Strive: “to devote serious effort or energy.”* Know: “to perceive directly, have direct cognition of. . . . Synonyms: comprehend, grasp, understand.”† Exalted: “held in high estimation: glorified or praised.”‡ Synonyms: glorious, honored, celebrated.§ Here is my version of Psalm 46:10: “Stop working so hard to save yourself and grasp that I am God; I will be honored among the nations, I will be celebrated on the earth.” Why do we put so much effort into attempting something that is not our job? Our job consists of honoring God with our thoughts, deeds, and actions. We honor God by spending time with Him; loving those He loves; serving those He would serve; doing right, loving mercy, and keeping Him uppermost in our thoughts. We celebrate Him, who He is, and what He does. We celebrate Him as the guest of honor each moment of our lives. How? you ask. We cannot stop whispers of doubt, birds of depression, moths of insecurities, and glimmers of addictions from lingering around us.

We can bolt the door of our minds and slam shut the windows to keep out the whispering, depressive, and insecure thoughts. We can snip the addictions in the early stages before they become deeply rooted in our lives. But how? Through His power, not ours. By lifting our thoughts to Him moment by moment. When my daughter was three years old, I took her to gymnastics lessons. The activity provided an extra hour of mommy-daughter bonding after a long day of teaching for me, and an outlet for her creative, boundless energy. She loved falling into the foam pit. She did her best to tumble, roll, and walk the long balance beam. I watched her from the bleachers. Eyes fixed a few inches from her feet, she wobbled her way across the beam until she fell into the pit. In the car, on the way home, we discussed the challenge. “Focus on the end of the beam,” I encouraged. “Look as far down the beam as you can. Your feet will follow the beam.” Now, those words echo in my head. Focus on Jesus.

Look at His life, His words, His actions. Follow Him while walking the balance beam of life. It will lead us home.

Faith Ann Laughlin

* Merriam Webster, s.v. “strive,” accessed Nov. 11, 2024, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/collegiate/strive.

† Merriam Webster, s.v. “know,” accessed Nov. 11, 2024, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/collegiate/know.

‡ Merriam Webster, s.v. “exalted,” accessed Nov. 11, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exalted.

§ Merriam Webster Thesaurus, s.v. “exalted,” accessed Nov. 11, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exalted.