Focus on the Father

In life, our focus can often times be misguided. There is a lot in this world that can change our focus. Focus is important. Focus helps us to see things clearly. Where our focus lies, will help guide our decisions in life. The world wants us to focus on the exterior. The world guides our focus to be on things that are temporary and fading. God is an everlasting God. His focus is to create lasting change in His children, so that we can then step into the calling for which we were created.

God is omnipresent, meaning that He is with you and with me, everywhere and all the time. Though He is with us, it is still up to us to talk to Him. When we are angry, sad, hurting, feeling like a failure, feeling discouraged, it is up to us how we deal with those feelings, thoughts and emotions. Who do we turn to? What do we do with those thoughts and feelings? God is always with us but many of us still look to the world or to ourselves to overcome our struggles. That usually leads to unsatisfactory and temporary results. 

For example, you want advice on money but you are asking people who are in debt up to their eyeballs. Their outer appearance is appealing to you because they are living a lifestyle that you desire, yet they owe money to everyone. Or perhaps you are having problems with a relationship and you seek advice from someone who is selfish and who never apologizes. More than likely, that person will tell you what you want to hear but not what you need to hear. Other times, we don't even go to other people. We simply ignore that there even is a problem and continue living as if everything is perfect in our lives. When we face issues we don't have to go to other people and we most certainly shouldn't ignore them either. We should turn to God, who is always with us, and allow Him to work in and through us. As I mentioned before, He is always available to us. Still, the choice is left for each one of us to make.

As I’m typing all of this, I’m reminded of a specific phrase: Knowledge is power. I remember that phrase not sitting well with me for a long time. It took me a long time to figure out why it always sounded so odd to me.  I realized that knowledge is good, but knowledge is also nothing without actions. What you do with knowledge is what truly matters. Here is an example of what I mean:

Two people attend the same church and hear the same message. Both people love the message and both of them take notes. However, there is one big difference. One person is eagerly thinking up names of people who also need to hear the message. That person will most likely talk about the message to others, telling them how amazing of a message it was. She will encourage other people and tell them that the message will be a blessing to them. Yet, that’s all that she will do with that knowledge. She will simply look for ways to pass it on to others, never taking the time to read her notes again.

 The other person who heard the same message, however, is eagerly trying to think of ways to apply the message to her life. That person desires change within herself. She desires true transformation. And because of that desire, she views the message as something that she needs to apply to her own life. That person remembers that she has a Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom she can rely on for strength and guidance. That person will take the scriptures from her notes and take the time to find them in her bible. She will be hungry to know more and she will truly want to understand how she can apply those scriptures to her life. I am proud to say that I went from being the person who was eager to share the message to the person who is now eager to apply the message to my own life.

God desires to create a lasting change in each one of us. However, we have freedom to choose whether or not to accept His help. Trying to change in your own way might be easier and may not require much sacrifice or change on your part, but the changes that you are able to make in your own strength will not last. You will struggle to keep up the façade. You will possibly have a happy face in your pictures on your FB or Instagram feed but on the inside you might actually be feeling miserable. You can be happy, you can have money, you can have a great job without a relationship with God…But you will always feel a hole inside, a gap in your heart, wondering why you feel so unfulfilled with all of your success.

Creating change God’s way will be challenging. It will require authenticity. It will require complete surrender. It will require humility and sacrifice. It will require regular repentance. It will require more of your time being spent on Him—attending church more than once a week, attending bible studies, reading your bible, praying and talking to Him instead of watching television.  The world measures your success by where you live, what kind of car you drive, how much money you make, where you vacation, how put together your outfit is, what brand name is on your clothing, shoes and accessories. And we make such great efforts, we put in so much time, towards attaining all of that worldly stuff.

 Yet, God cares about only one thing—your heart. Does He have your heart or not? It really is that simple. Once you give your complete heart to Christ, He will begin to work in you to help you become the person that He created you to be! And that is what living a fulfilled life is all about! So stop focusing on others. Don’t focus on the world and its unrealistic expectations and measures of success. Turn your focus towards Heavenly things. Turn your focus towards God, your loving Father who is waiting patiently for you to call out to Him. In Him, you will find that joy and that fulfillment which you have longingly been seeking. I love you and pray that you are encouraged by reading this blog today.

To God: Happy Father's Day, Daddy! Thank you for your perfect love! I thank you that you sent your Son Jesus to die on a cross to cover every single one of my sins. I thank you that we were all created with unique purpose and that you have given us a Helper, the Holy Spirit in us, to help us achieve that purpose in our lives. I thank you for your omnipresence. I thank you that you are our Everlasting Father. I thank you for your lovingkindness. I thank you for your grace, for your mercy, for your peace and for your love! Help us to be less like the world and more like you. Guide us in our everyday lives. Lead our hearts back to you, oh Lord! In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.