focus – Thoughts on Life and Leading

design While the above title may appear oversimplified, in essence, it is true. If you wish to accomplish or attain something, you usually must pay close attention to that thing and determine ways to acquire it. This is a point worthy of consideration but it is not my main point today.

Assuming the title is true, and using deductive reasoning, you get what you focus on.

If I focus on a friend’s flaws, the way my neighbor offended me, or reasons why I can’t be successful – well – that is what I am going to get.

This happens with ministries, churches and Christian leaders. It is so easy to focus on things that actually distract us from what we should be concentrating upon. When a leader can’t accomplish a task because their predecessor messed up, they are focusing on failure. When a church squabbles over music style or budgets, they focus on division. Politics, pet projects, even traditions, even though good and necessary, can rob us of our focus on the most important issues of life.

What should we want badly enough to focus upon?

While you must seek for God’s direction in order to discover your specific divine purpose (and yes, I believe that every person is born with one), we must decide today what is worthy of our attention. Let me ask you: that thing you are focusing on…

Does it bring lasting fulfillment and satisfaction to you?

Does is reflect the heart of God?

Does it offer hope?

Does it impact eternity?

If the answer is no, it’s probably not worthy of your attention.

My opinion about focus-worthy issues is narrow. I believe the New Testament indicates that our priority must be the salvation of souls. If it is not directly related to winning people to Christ, I should limit my focus. The Mission of making Disciples of Jesus is our primary task.

Say no to any distraction, even if it is a good thing, if it pulls you away from your honorable and God-given goals.

Be stubborn about your purpose and life’s mission. Refuse to take your eyes off of the prize. Invest your time, energy, brainpower and money in something that matters – forever.

If you focus on it, chances are you’ll end up with it.

We are increasingly becoming a generation of hoppers. We skip from one job to another, from hobbies and interests and even from one relationship to the next. It is no wonder that we have trouble concentrating, our attention spans are short and we are easily bored.

There may be a consequence that is bigger than boredom – many of us are not living out the ultimate purpose of our lives. Rather than laser sharp vision and fulfillment, most people settle for mediocrity and mundanity. This can be a consequence of a refusal to focus on the main thing.

It’s time to drill down deeper into things that matter. Even as it is confusing to try to focus on more than one thing with your eyes, multiple emphases in life can ultimately frustrate.

Drilling deep will require some practices that we may not be currently employing. A few examples are:

Exercise self-discipline: We must resist the temptation to flit from one concentration to the next. As children must learn to pay attention in spite of distractions, so we will need to develop this skill. It is a matter of growing up and doing what may not come naturally. Be mature enough to say “no” to non-essentials that prevent you from digging deeper.

Ignore the flash: There is a lot of competition for your attention. There are plenty of interesting sights and sounds that are vying for your focus. Learn to tune out the noise. Don’t make yourself a slave to the loudest voices and brightest lights or else you will drive yourself crazy chasing them.

Give up on hip: Many people are trying so hard to stay connected and current that they end up being completely irrelevant. Trends change faster than you can. Be aware of who God created you to be, pursue that vision with everything you have and let the rest of the world keep spinning toward their nauseating dizziness.

Abandon the “messiah complex”: You can’t save others. You are not their answer. Let’s learn to entrust others to God and simply do what He has called us to do.

Drilling deep takes strength. But the result of deep drilling will be the discovery of precious gems unexplored by those who bounce around the surface of life.

Tag: focus

If You Want It, Focus On It

Drill Down