Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Hidden Pandas

I worked at the daycare this afternoon (not the unhealthy helping I talked about last week - just a few hours this time). 

I got home and made supper. As I was walking around the kitchen, Allison asked, "Why is there a panda on your back?"

"A panda on my back?!" I exclaimed. "I have no idea!" Then I ran to get a mirror and see what she was talking about. Sure enough, I had been running around for hours with a panda sticker on my back.

Not the kitchen - I had Gary take a picture later.

 "Those kids!" I fumed. I wondered which one of those little stinkers had slapped a panda on my back when I wasn't suspecting it. 

Was it the one who had come up and given me a sweet little hug? I thought I noticed a smirk on her face as she went back to play.

A closer view of the hidden (from me) panda

Or was it the one who was running circles around me as I chanted "walking feet, walking feet!"

I wasn't really mad, of course, but it did get me thinking. 

What else do people see on (or in) me that I can't see?

Do they see pride? or laziness? or judgment? 

Do they see someone who is too worried about herself to truly care about and get to know others?

Do they see someone who says she'll do something, but then it takes forever to see the task get accomplished?

Do they see good things that I refuse to acknowledge most of the time - like creativity, talent, and potential?

I had no idea I had a panda on my back until my daughter pointed it out. 

We need to be willing to let people point out the "pandas" we can't see in our lives. Those may be bad habits or personality traits we need to change...or they could be wonderful things about ourselves that we need to embrace and develop.

If we ask, God will gently point out the "hidden pandas" on our backs. The Holy Spirit will either urge us to get rid of them or He'll encourage us to enjoy them and grow emotionally or spiritually.

I looked for an image to use for my graphic this week and was surprised to learn that "hidden panda" is a thing. Apparently at the end of 2015 someone drew a picture of snowmen with a hidden panda that frustrated people to no end.

Since then, there have been many other "hidden panda" pictures to challenge people's skills of observation.

Can you find the hidden panda in my title graphic? (I put the reveal picture at the end of this post in case you need it)

Let's all search for the hidden pandas in our own lives. And if you're ever around a group of preschoolers, remember to watch your back!

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

Do you think you might have any "hidden pandas" in your life? How can focusing on God help you to see them clearly?

Scroll down to see the hidden panda reveal picture...

(Hidden Panda Images: HIZULKARNAIN/PLAYBUZZ)

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Significance

I'm going to be starting a Bible Study with some very special women this Monday night. I don't even know who all of them are yet, but I know without a doubt that they are very special. How do I know? Because God calls them very special. 

I'm assuming that not all of them will feel very special when they come to the study that night. Some may feel like they don't measure up to the expectations their friends or family may have for them. Others may disappoint even themselves way too often. And I'll bet lots of them wonder if God is disappointed with them when they fail.

I struggle with those feelings at times. About twenty years ago I did a Bible Study with a group of women at our church in Rock Rapids, Iowa. "The Search For Significance" by Robert S. McGee changed my life back then, and God has been bringing it to mind so much lately that I think it's time for a repeat. Back then I went to Bible Studies but I would often not say a single word during our time together. I would go home and cry and feel terrible because I didn't feel confident enough to say what I was thinking. 

During "The Search For Significance" I finally started to speak up. I learned to base my worth on what God thought of me and I wasn't so worried about what everyone was thinking about me in the group.

This study will point us all to truths in God's word that will help us to avoid basing our worth on our performance and approval from others. We'll learn to accept love even if we have failed and realize that we are not hopeless and powerless to change.

The subtitle for "The Search For Significance" is "Seeing Your TRUE WORTH Through GOD'S EYES." I'm praying that this study changes all of us and helps us to fully realize how much God loves us and how freeing that can be as we live our lives for Him.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

Do you feel insignificant? Are you paralyzed by what others may think of you? How can focusing on God help you to live more freely and confidently?

(You're welcome to join us if you live in the Allison, Iowa area - or maybe you could start your own study with a group of friends wherever you live)