DEVOTION

Have you ever chosen a ‘word for the year’? That challenge floats around social media every January. I don’t usually play along, but, for some reason this year, I got caught up in it. Maybe it was all of the hype about 2020 being “the perfect year.” According to tens of thousands of Facebook users, if 20/20 means you have perfect vision, why would this year dare disappoint us? (If I could insert an emoji, I would insert the “laugh until I cry emoji” here!)

Did you choose a word?

I chose focus. And with a word like that, there was only one thing to do next … make my to-do list. How could anyone get focused without one, right?

Then, March arrived, and set my list on fire.

The definition of focus is: “to make something the center of interest or activity; to adapt and become able to see clearly; to pay particular attention to.” If we aren’t careful, we can get caught up focusing on our problems, our online presence, or the division our country is experiencing right now. If we just focus enough, we think we can fix it.

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” – Colossians 3:2

There are also many things we can give our minds over to that aren’t bad at all, things like our jobs, families, friends, health, justice, etc. As a matter of fact, those things are good. They just aren’t supposed to be what we’re focused on.

Do you know what sets us apart from the rest of God’s creation? When God created people in his image, he gave us the capacity to love. We can even love several things at once. But the thing we have the most affection for always wins. It is what we focus on most. It becomes the center of our attention and the thing we see most clearly.

If you’re like me, you’ve sat in front of a screen a ton these past few months. Zoom calls. Google Meets. Church online. Shopping online. Billpay online. Working online.

One of the things I’ve noticed lately is what happens when I look up from hours of screen time. Everything is blurry. Even the things I know are there when I look up are hard to recognize because I’ve focused on my screen for so long. And the longer I look at my screen, the longer it takes for my eyes to refocus when I look up. Eventually, it becomes easier to just look at the screen.

I can only imagine that it’s no coincidence we were created to focus on one thing at a time. Only Jesus is intended to be at the center of our lives.

Have you ever noticed that it’s not difficult to focus on your screen after looking around at everything else? It’s only hard to see everything else clearly when we’re focused on the thing our eyes weren’t created to focus on.

In a world that wants us to look around at the mess and be distraught, let us continue to fix our eyes—our focus—on the one who still holds it all together.

PRAYER

Father,

We bow before you today grateful for your faithful and unwavering love for us. When we become distracted and focus on other things, your love and your presence remain. Today, we look up from those things and fix our eyes on you, the One who knows and sees all and brings rest to our blurry and weary eyes. Lord, help us. We love you.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Kim Gilliam

Crossings Edmond KIDS Ministry Pastor

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