Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Looking (Part 2)

I want to continue the theme we began last week and share a few more thoughts about looking. You see, I blew it again and neglected to really look at something.

We bought a new GPS recently. I took it out of the box and tried to hook it up to the computer to make sure it had the most current maps. I ran into a little problem. I couldn't plug it in.

I looked and looked at my cord and the GPS and couldn't figure out how to plug that cord in. I even called TomTom and explained my predicament. Granted, we had a bit of a language barrier, but he seemed puzzled by my inability to plug in the new cord. I earnestly explained that the slot on my GPS was about a half inch wide but the cord end was only about a quarter inch wide and I didn't see how it could plug in. He asked some good questions and then basically told me to take it to a Walmart or BestBuy and ask someone to show me how to plug it in. I was slightly offended and hung up feeling frustrated. I know how to plug things in. I'm not dumb. I even tried forcing the plug into the little slot, but it didn't work. I left the GPS by the computer and moved on to other activities.

A couple of days later I had to do something with our old GPS. I picked it up and saw immediately what I had done wrong with our new GPS.

The cord had to turn sideways and plug into the slot made especially for it. The slot I somehow neglected to see when I was looking all over my GPS for a place to plug into. Sigh. How could I have missed it? It was right there in front of me, but I didn't see it until I saw an example I could follow.

This situation made me think of lots of times when we don't see something. Sometimes we aren't looking (like last week's pedometer), but sometimes we're looking as hard as we can but we still miss something.

Maybe we want to have a better marriage or a healthier relationship with our children or a stronger spiritual life, but it seems like we can't figure out where to "plug in." We have certain ideas but they don't seem to fit when we look at our situation. We might even try to force the connection, but it doesn't work.

We need an example. When we see what a good marriage looks like, or a healthy parent/child relationship, or a strong faith walk, we just might be able to turn our thoughts and actions around so that we can get plugged in and improve in those areas.

Of course, Jesus is our finest example. He shows us the way to live and love and thrive. Look to Him first. Talking to Him and reading the Bible will give you so much guidance in every relationship you have here on this earth. When you know that your relationship with Him is solid, then you can look around for other examples and follow them. 

Ask questions when you see someone who has a good marriage, a healthy relationship with their children, or a strong faith in God. They'll help you plug in and grow in so many ways.

"Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived." (1 John 2:6 The Message)

Are you frustrated because you can't figure out where to "plug in" and improve some of life's problems? How can focusing on God help you to follow Jesus' example and find godly people to learn from here on earth?

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Looking

I carry a fitbit pedometer around in my pocket every day. I love it when I can log 10,000 steps. Even when I can't, I just feel like I'm doing more to be healthy when I pat my pocket and know the fitbit is in there.

In the last couple of weeks, I got kind of lazy about looking at my fitbit. I figured it would keep track of the steps and calories and I could sync it to the app on my phone when I got a chance later. I just transferred it from one pocket to another and hardly looked at it.

This morning after I exercised, I finally looked at it. This is what I saw:

No amount of tapping would make the display come to life, so I figured the battery must have been completely dead. Great, I thought, I've been carrying it around for nothing. I wonder how long it hasn't been working?

I replaced the battery and tapped the screen, expecting to see "0" for everything. 0 steps taken. 0 calories burned. 0 miles traveled. Instead, I saw this:

I think it was still keeping track of my steps this morning, even though I couldn't see the display.

Of course, this got my brain going in all different directions. I began to wonder how many other things I drag around through life without even looking at them. Maybe it's actual items like too many books. I can hear all of my writer friends gasp at that, but I'm not talking about the ones that are like "family." I'm talking about the ones you never seem to find time to read or that were just okay the first time you read them. Maybe it's the piles of papers that clutter our desks and flood over into the rest of the house. Sure, there's some good, important stuff in there, but most of it we could probably throw away and never miss it. Maybe it's emotional stuff like a grudge we can't let go of, a regret we can't move on from, or a fear that paralyzes us.

It's time to stop dragging all of that junk around with us. Let's look at it and get rid of the things that aren't working for us, the things that hold us back, the things that steal our joy.

I also thought about the Bible. Just like my blank fitbit, many people keep their Bibles closed and drag it around like that:

It might look nice, but if it stays closed it's just a useless thing we leave on a shelf or carry around just to look good. I couldn't see how many steps I had walked today when I finally checked my fitbit, and if I don't open my Bible then I rob myself of the opportunity to hear from God. I can't read His promises, His instructions, His words of encouragement, or His commands if I leave my Bible closed.

I put a battery in my fitbit and it came back to life. I open my Bible and wonderful words rush into my life. I'm glad I open it most days, and this little fitbit fiasco reminds me to keep looking. You'll find great and awesome things when you decide to really look.

Are you dragging around physical or emotional items that aren't working? How can focusing on God help you to really look at things in your life and the Bible so that you can live a joyful, fulfilling life?