40 Days of Focus

The Power of FOCUS!

As we begin our journey together, I believe it is important for us to develop a lexicon – an assortment of words which we will commonly use in the context of our discussion. The importance of a lexicon is that everyone participating in the discussion are in agreement with what each word means.

We are going to be spending a lot of time talking about “FOCUS” and how to apply this principle in our lives, but what does it mean for us?

According to Miriam Webster, focus is defined as:

2focus Function: verb Inflected Form(s): fo·cused also fo·cussed; fo·cus·ing also fo·cus·sing Date: 1775 transitive verb1 a: to bring into focus b: to adjust the focus of (as the eye or a lens)2: to cause to be concentrated 3: to bring (as light rays) to a focus : concentrateintransitive verb1: to come to a focus : converge2: to adjust one's eye or a camera to a particular range3: to concentrate attention or effort
— fo·cus·able \-kə-sə-bəl\ adjective
— fo·cus·er noun

I believe it important for us to understand terms because it enables us to direct our attention on what is really important. FOCUS as we will be discussing it is a process. A process which has a pre-determined result. Many of us know in mathematics that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. No one can argue that there is more than one method to get to a particular point, but everyone would agree that the most efficient and time-effective method is the one with the shortest distance.

I can remember the family trips in the car as a child, sitting in the back seat of the Family Monte Carlo, wondering when we were going to arrive at our destination, only being disappointed that we had not even left our subdivision. I remember my dad letting me hold the map as I attempted to reconcile landmarks or turns in the road, with what I was reading on the map. I remember getting frustrated knowing our destination was on the opposite side of the lake, and knowing that we had to go the long way around to get to where we planned to go. If only my dad had the foresight to buy a boat to take us over the lake, then we would not be burdened with the long travel. This was long before the days of DVD players, portable radio headsets, and the other various sundry items that entertain our children today. We were truly pioneers!

I use this story as an illustration to emphasize two key points:

1. Our destination is the reason for us taking the trip in the first place. There is little value in taking the trip if you don’t know where you are going. In life it is imperative that we know where we are going. As believers, in Christ, it is imperative that we know where God wants us to go. When we discover where God is taking us, we can then begin the process of FOCUS to get us there. If we neglect this principle step, we can spend our entire lives climbing a ladder, only to discover that when we get up high enough to see around us, we are leaning against the wrong wall.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

2. The FOCUS process is designed to get us there in the shortest amount of time possible. I understand it is difficult to reconcile all of life’s events into a mathematical equation. The “lines” of life are rarely straight, but I know from personal experience that there is a long and short way to traveling to where God wants us to go. Ultimately all of us want to experience the abundance of life that God has for us, and we should prioritize God’s principles to experience His abundant life. Just as a reminder, the journey to our destination in God’s purposes is equally valuable to the arrival point.

FOCUS CONNECTION:

What does the FOCUS process look like to you?

What are some of the things you do to focus?

What are some things that can be a distraction to you?

What are some ways that motivate you? What are some ways that discourage you?

Post a response to any or all of these questions – Let’s begin the journey together!