During one of our early dress rehearsals for Cinderella, I determined to get some good photos to post on facebook, in order to better promote the show. So I dutifully clambered around the seats in the auditorium—empty but for a few mothers sewing costumes and younger children watching—to get the best angles, and clicked away. I was rather disappointed by the results, though—not only did I tend to miss the exact shots I wanted due to the delayed reaction of my digital camera, but I’d failed to realize my flash was turned off. So most of my pictures came out blurry…out of focus.
While the intensity of busyness has ebbed since the show closed, between the myriad of wrap-up details after the show, my sister leaving for a mission trip, juggling two big writing projects, planning my own research trip to New Mexico, and various worries and uncertainties about the future, life has felt rather a-jumble with varied to-dos pulling this way and that. I’ve felt, if often subconsciously, out-of-focus, unsure even what to focus on or prioritize.
At Bible study this week, one of our group leaders read to us from Luke 12:
But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
Somehow those few verses served as a “flash” for my blurry lens, bringing a focus I’d been missing, rendering the main things somehow clearer. For that is the main thing, isn’t—that “one thing” Jesus reminded Martha of: to seek His kingdom, and trust Him with the rest.
Yet in church this morning, I still had trouble keeping my mind on the songs and prayers. Even when we began confessing our faith through the words of Colossians 1, I struggled to really “mean” the words. As I followed along, though, they gradually began to “mean” to me—not just through the specifics of each word, but through the picture they painted—a picture of Jesus, the One who is before all things, and in whom all things hold together. This image of who He is came again as we sang one of my favorite hymns, “Before the Throne of God Above.” And once more, the focus of my “lens” sharpened. Jesus—He is THE main thing.
So, as begins a new week full of tasks and decisions and responsibilities and steps of faith, Lord help me have my focus on You. Surely then, all the rest will fall into place.
Kierst,
Absolutely, we need to keep the main thing, Christ, the main thing. Unfortunately, many other things cloud our minds and blur our focus. Thankfully, we know where to go to clear our vision.
thanks for the post!
So true…thanks, Marilyn!