What's Your Focus?

What are some typical things we do during the day? And what do we focus on when doing those things?

We may drive to and from work, often through much traffic. We could get irritated and complain about the ever increasing time the drive takes. We could pass the time by listening to some inane political babble on talk radio. Or we could use that mindless driving time to connect with the Lord in prayer, listen to his word on CD, or listen to Bible teaching on the radio -- turning monotonous driving into a way to further immerse ourselves in things of the spirit.

We may work. We could see that as just a means to put bread on the table. We could see that as a necessary evil in life on this earth and just try to get the day done with. Or we could see that as another opportunity to serve the Lord and let the light of Christ shine as we do our jobs well, do them cheerfully, and do them with integrity -- turning serving men on the job into an opportunity to serve the Lord.

We may help our spouse with some task around the house that we don't really want to do. We could see that as doing a mundane chore that just needs to get done. We could see that as scoring points with them to get something out of it later. We could see that as a way to get them off our back about helping out more. Or we could see that as a way to show love to them by serving them -- turning an unpleasant job into a way to serve Christ by serving others.

We may go to the store to pick up some things. We could see it as mindlessly fetching items we may or may not really need. Or we could see it as another opportunity to reach the lost we meet along the way -- turning a boring task into an opportunity for evangelism.

There are a million more situations in which this logic could be applied. The question is always the same, though: Who's first? With the right focus, there is always one who is first. The drives are secondary; Christ is first. The job is secondary; Christ is first. The housework is secondary; Christ is first. The grocery list is secondary; Christ is first. And so on!

Everyone, myself included, needs less and less of the former and more and more of the latter. What's your focus?

Grace and Peace