Where Is Your Focus?
“Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits.”
Mahatma Gandhi
We were so excited about our trip! Our first vacation together with Todd’s parents. We had traveled before as a newly married couple, but this was the first real vacation with young kids. As we proceeded onto the interstate, our mouths began to water with anxious anticipation at what awaited the first leg on our journey. We had agreed to stop and eat at a popular buffet in Benton, Ark. called Brown’s Country Kitchen. It was an all you could eat smorgasbord of mouthwatering homestyle meals, that if not careful would make one need to repent from the sin of gluttony. Todd’s dad drove a bit slower than he did, so he made up his mind that he would stay behind them until we reached our destination. We had left out a little before them, so Todd waited for them to pass so he could fall in behind and set his cruise control. This would be the only way to ensure we would all arrive at our destination together. To our surprise, the red Windstar minivan that we were waiting on to follow at a steady methodical pace, passed us with lightning speed. Todd glanced over at me and said, “Wow! Dad must be hungry!” We trailed in behind him and as we approached a speed of nearly 90 mph Todd declared, “What has gotten into my dad! I think he’s lost it! I can’t keep up! We will just have to meet them there when we get there!” At that, we slowed down to a little over the speed limit and cruised to our destination. As soon as we arrived, Todd hopped out of the car, searching for his parents. He was fully prepared to give his dad a hard time for speeding. Surprise! They were NOWHERE to be found! Thirty minutes later… in rolls the red Windstar minivan! His dad bounded out of the car laughing hysterically! “You thought that was me, didn’t you?” inquired his dad.
You see, we knew which vehicle we were supposed to follow, but something that looked identical confused us. Both red Windstar minivans looked exactly the same on the outside, but what they held on the inside were completely different. The confusion not only caused us to travel outside of a speed we were comfortable with, but also caused my husband feelings of disbelief and frustration. Our purpose, we thought, was to stick together. However, our purpose was really that we reach the same destination. Sticking together was part of the plan, but that plan got altered by the confusion of the counterfeit we tried to follow.
Have you ever found yourself following something you believed to be truth, only to be disappointed when the results you had hoped for did not manifest in the way you would have liked them to?
Napoleon Bonaparte stated, “Courage isn’t having the strength to go on- it is going on when you don’t have strength.”
Many of us struggle silently, merely going through the motions, the monotony of life, while deep inside we wonder if our life matters or if it is making a difference?
Many times, we try to fill the void of purpose with relationships, habits, hobbies, or work; hoping that these things will fulfill us. If these don’t ease the pain that hopelessness and a lack of a sense of purpose can sometimes bring, some may even fall into the trap of addiction, abuse, or depression.
2020 was a year quite different from all the rest. Our world drastically changed, seemingly overnight. We hoped 2021 would offer a respite of relief, but we find many people across the globe are just as divided. Some are hopeful, yet others are fearful of what might be coming next. We, like my husband in the story above, have lost FOCUS on what we really should be looking at. We find ourselves hyper focused on sharing the same opinions, valuing the same beliefs, and demanding the same results, forgetting that our greatest purpose is to reach the same destination, to give glory to God. My husband didn’t purposely follow the wrong van. He didn’t intentionally set out to become frustrated with his dad. It only happened because he followed a counterfeit, led astray by his focus being on staying behind the red Windstar minivan, rather than having the security that we would reach the destination together. Had he looked closer, he would have seen that the tags were from Texas, and his dad’s tags, from Arkansas.
No one purposely builds on a major fault line without understanding the risk involved.
Yet, when it concerns the possibility of fulfilling our purpose, we often build skyscrapers of hopes and dreams on an unstable foundation; US, or on what affects US. Our FOCUS seems to shift from knowing our purpose to trying to accomplish it. This happens because the passion of us fulfilling our purpose often overrides the wisdom needed to accomplish it. Without even thinking about the risk, we fall prey to our nature, the longing to achieve and accomplish our purpose.
Have you found yourself so full of hope; trying to answer the call of God's purpose intended for you, only to be disappointed or frustrated; wondering if you ever heard from Him at all? Or, maybe you abandoned the faith you were once so sure of because the plans of prosperity and hope for a bright future did not measure up to the reality of life you now find yourself facing.
We wonder where we missed God.
Did God really mean what He said?
Maybe I heard Him wrong; maybe I didn’t hear Him at all.
Our hope turns into questions.
Our foundation shaken, we look for meaning in other things, other people, and/or
other projects. We possibly take it as a call to pray more, to do more, to seek more.
There is no security in the temporary satisfaction that this world offers. No matter what political party you favor, what passion you exert to find success, or what refuge you hope to find in the relationships you seek to give you validation, there is nothing in this world that can truly satisfy us, except that which is constant and never changing. That satisfaction can only come from one who never changes; GOD. For many of US, the issue is not that we need God, or that we know we need to follow Him, but rather who are we looking at to be GOD in our lives. Have we allowed ourselves to be so distracted at trying to follow God, that we have been deceived by a counterfeit?
Philippians 4:8 tells us to "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. " This seems like a viable achievement, but the issue is that, like in the incident of the red Windstar minivan, there is a counterfeit.
The phrase used at the beginning of this verse comes from a Greek word meaning; a collection of thoughts gathered in the mind expressed in words. When I was young one of my favorite shows to watch was the familiar School House Rock. The opening lyrics stated:
As your body grows bigger
Your mind must flower
It's great to learn
'Cause knowledge is power
Knowledge is power? It sounds good and true, however, it is really what is behind that knowledge that truly wields the power. You see, it was a red Windstar minivan that we followed because that is what we were looking for. However, what was inside, the driver, Todd's dad, is what we were really looking for. We fell for a counterfeit because our FOCUS was on the wrong thing. We missed the valuable clues that would have led us to the correct vehicle to follow because of this unintentional mistake.
Many of us have good intentions and have done what we believed to be right and true and honorable, etc. Throughout history well meaning people have done corrupt things because they followed a counterfeit purpose. Focusing on their actions to bring them to redemption rather than focusing on the ONE behind their redemption. Now more than any time in the history, it is vital for us to not merely know the Word of the Lord, but to know the Lord of the Word. I challenge each of you to read the Word of God and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. If when you read it, you don't have an answer or an understanding then read again, and then again, and then again. Study it like you study Social Media or the latest News. How many times have we depended on a political platform to bring us what we desperately desired, pursued with passion the same course of of events to achieve success, or sought refuge in the same relationships only to be disillusioned, disappointed, and displeased? What if we used that same resolve, that same passion, and that same pursuit that we expend on temporary pursuits to chase after the eternal ones?
IF...“Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits.” THEN...our actions and habits will indicate what we truly believe. Take a moment and list your actions and habits. What do they indicate you are chasing after? What are your thoughts and what do they indicate you really believe?
Our FOCUS should not be on merely the action of gaining knowledge, but rather on the source from which knowledge is gained. This is what greatly influences our beliefs and stewards our actions. If you have found yourself chasing the counterfeit, change your course and run to the Lord of the Word.