15 | Be Focused

I'm nearsighted.  No, I'm not talking about my eyes.  It's my myopic attention span. Whatever is in front of me, that's what gets my attention.

Dirty dishes annoy me until they are clean and drying, or better yet, put away.  Post-it note reminders: they are little red capes attracting a stampede of my attention. Push messages on my phone = must respond immediately.  Piles of paper to go through... umm... let's just say I've gotten really good at ignoring some distractions, much to the chagrin of my Mr.

So unless everything is tucked away in its proper place, my mind bounces from distraction to detail to distraction.  It's kind of like living in a pinball machine.  I'm never certain where I'm mentally going to go next.  

It's exhausting.

It's soul stultifying.

I know I need to focus, not on the short-term, immediate interruption stuff, but on the high-altitude, spirit-developing stuff.  I need to focus on God.

Do you feel this way, too?

Our culture is not one that encourages a focus on looking up, looking higher, looking beyond this earthly path.  We are bombarded with information and distractions all day long.  

So how do we pull our focus back to our faith, our God?  How do we remind ourselves to be still, to rest and to grow in God's love?

First and foremost, we need to be still.  I've been writing about this for 14 days, 14 different ways now.  But in case you're just tuning in, let's practice with a little breathing and a little prayer.

Breathe belly deep.  Breathe in God's peace, for your body, mind, heart, and soul.
Hold onto that breath and that peace a moment.
And exhale.  Let out the tension.  The tightness.
Pause and relax a moment before you begin again.

Repeat.

Inhaling inward: God, focus my body, mind, heart, and soul on you alone.  
Hold that breathe: Help me to hold my focus on you.
Exhaling outward: God, push any distractions out of my time with you.
Pause: Be my focus, my center, my stillness.

Lord, 

I still find it hard to slow down, to breathe deep, to be still before you and in you.  After two weeks I hoped it would be easier.  In my difficulty, I see all the more clearly how much I need this quiet, focused time with you.  

But I do see growth.  My mind bounces around all day, but more often it settles back on you and your word.  Where once our quiet time together was a task to be completed for my spiritual wellbeing, now I seek you with eagerness, like having coffee with a friend.  And your peace sticks with me longer, your precious peace that passes all human understanding.  I so need that.

Thank you for these moments of stillness, for filling me with your Holy Spirit.  Thank you for helping my soul to grow.

from Amy Westerman Photography

Be with me as I consider new ways to bring my focus to you throughout my days. Show me what will help me slide this earthly world into the background and let you shine, front and center.  Help me to see what will help me to simply be — to be present and to be your presence.  Help me to pick just one simple reminder to adopt in the coming days.  There is always time later for adding more prompts to focus on you.

Amen.

Aaahhhhmen.

I feel so much better now.  More thoughtful.  More intentional.  More connected to the peace of Christ.  I hope you do, too.

And now, for your slow and still perusal, a menu of ideas to remind you that God is always near.  Pick one.  Put it into action.  And pray that God will use this cue to help you focus on your Living, Loving Lord.

Is it hard to limit yourself to just one reminder?  You can always stop back next month to share how things are going and pick up another idea!  I'd love to hear how things are going.

Make or buy a snazzy sign for your home
thesimplestandard via Etsy.com

 

Put a favorite verse on canvas
lindsayletters.com

Print this cute printable for your desk
prettydarncute.com

This on a Post-it, wherever you need it?
linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Crafty project: stones to center thoughts
the-white-bench.blogspot.com

I need this stamped onto the dog leash
via Pinterest

Put your Bible where you will notice and read it
framedinfaith.blogspot.com

Showers: reminders you are baptized and forgiven
steamshowerinstallation.co.uk

Soul-stirring music for your faith-filled playlist
BillyJohnsonMusic.com

Bombardment Ball (or It's Time to Focus the Family)

Do you ever get the sense that life is just a series of random bits and pieces pelting you and pushing you along?  I go through stretches where I just feel so... reactive.  I get stuck in knee-jerk reaction mode, dealing with one urgent need after another.  I get so mindlessly, soullessly reactive that I almost become radio-active — stressed out by the bombardment ball of life to the point of being toxic.  Just picture that for a moment. 

Not pretty.


That's why I want so badly to be pro-active, intentional, focused.  I want to be centered in Christ so when the stuff of daily life tries to push me around, my feet and my faith still stand firm.

So I read my Bible and go to church and pray through the nooks and crannies of my day.  I feel pretty rooted.  Not perfect.  But better than the alternative.

And just when I'm about to pat myself on the back and high five the Holy Spirit...

...I see what I've been missing.

Yes, that's my daughter, the ball of stress and frustration and perfectionism and anger that I have spawned.  Hardly 8:00am on a Tuesday and she's in full-throttle radioactive reactionary mode.  Her only focus is on deflecting her inner yuck onto everyone in her midst.

Help me, help me, help me, Lord.  She needs some centering, too.

It's time to renew my efforts to help my kiddos find a kinder, gentler, more grace-filled focus to soften the sharp blows from this world's projectiles.

It's time to find time — between church choir and school work, gymnastics and basketball, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, making dinner and folding laundry — to slow down in God's love.  To fill up with God's grace.

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 

Luke 2:40 (NIV)

I have no idea how I'm going to do it.  All I know is I do not want this mission to become another bombardment ball, pelting me into a state of stress.

I think I'll start by putting my daughter's Bible on her bed, with an I've-been-there letter from Mom.  I'll leave her with a verse that calms my stormy soul.  

And for my son, I think the Lego men stuffed animal entourage may be lined up along his Bible tonight, inviting him in.

Another day we might pull out the markers and paper and dress up and doodle God's word, decorating our hearts and our bedroom walls with scripture verses.

by Stephanie Ackerman @ HomegrownHospitality.typepad.com

When they scream for screen time I'll give them Seeds Family Worship videos. 

Are there Veggie Tales for tweens?  If not, could somebody please get crackin' on that? 

And we need to get back to reading the Bible together and praying together REGULARLY.  Perhaps we'll move it to a wake-up-and-face-the-day snuggle time when this mom has a little more energy.

Oh, how I wish I had this family faith corner squared away.  I wish I had a list of proven strategies to share with you.  But instead of inspiration and tangible tactics, today you get this: an invitation to journey alongside me as I work to focus my family in faith. 

What do you do to center your family in God's grace?  I'd love to hear your ideas and borrow from your experiences.

God Be in My Head

Our church choir sang this song by John Rutter this past Sunday.  It is a beautiful prayer for a Godly focus. 

I hope you get a chance today to enjoy a moment of stillness, of meditation, of the Holy Spirit. 

When Focus Fades

Did you notice my obsessed ambitious 2013 Bible Reading Plan?

You'd think someone who would go so far as to post her Bible reading plan and a geeky bar chart documenting her progress would be committed to the goal.  Unflagging in her enthusiasm.  Persistent in her follow through.  You'd think she'd probably make it at least six months before any temptations of deep-sixing said goal crossed her mind.

You'd think wrong.

Week three of daily Bible reading and exploring the lesser-read Old Testament texts, and I am flailing.  My focus on being present with God, in his word... it's become rather blurry.

Every day I am tempted by The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest and The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days to push aside my Bible and indulge in more frivolous reading. 

What's a person to do when focus fades?

Pray.
This is where I take a page from Paul's epistle and another from Anne Lammott's book.  "Oh, Lord.  I do those things I don't want to do.  And I don't do the things I aim to do.  Help me, help me, help me get my God-loving focus back."  It's the prayer of admitting I can't do it alone, that I need God's help.
 
Persist.
As it is written in James 1:2-3, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."  If we don't give up but give God the chance to refine our efforts and habits, then our faith can grow.  So I add another prayer: "God, help me to persevere, to push through the hard parts, and to find the joy in the challenge and the promise of a stronger faith beyond it."

Go Public.
God surrounds us with a cloud of witnesses, not to document our shortcomings and botched attempts, but to carry us through life's hard parts and celebrate life's victories with us.  The Big Guy in the Sky reminds me, when I'm tempted to stray away from his word, that there are 15 people who occasionally tune in to my bloggy blathering.  Fifteen people who might actually ask, "Hey, how's that Bible reading going?"  Fifteen people with whom to share glimmers of his goodness whether I succeed or stumble on this journey through Scripture.  A cloud of witnesses to carry me through.

(Perhaps your cloud isn't in the electronic cloud.  They can be family.  Friends.  Neighbors.  Your personal Board of Directors.  The point is invite them along on your journey and allow God to work his wonders through them.)

So with prayers, persistence, and a smidgen of the public invisibly watching over my shoulder, I settled in to read Joshua this morning.  That's when this little nugget grabbed me. 

"Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy."  And Joshua did so.
Joshua 5:15

That's how God made his presence known, when he made sure persistence paid off.

"The place where you stand, dear Liz, is holy."

Huh?  I've been procrastinating and unfocused and flailing.  How is that holy ground?

I swear I heard God clear his throat.  "Ahem."  Soft and patient, yet pointed.  Okay, so possibly that was my dog trying to cough up a fur ball.  But let's not rule out the mysterious ways in which God works.

"Ahem."

As in, "Dear Liz, it is not your work or your effort that makes the ground holy."

In fact, it's not until I strip away my stuff — my sandals, my socks, my insecurities and frustrations about my mistakes — that I can see God's holiness in my midst.

When I'm all caught up in reading the Bible to satisfy my goal, of course I'm going to lose focus.  First off, I'm forgetting that it's the Spirit who led me down this reading path.  Second, I'm stuck in a "to do" mentality before I even open the Bible.  How can God get through when I'm focused on getting done?  

So here's the lesson I've learned:  When focus fades, let go and let God take over.  Shed the earthly shoes that drag me down crooked paths, and let God make my path straight.  Because when I let him, he always leads me to his holy ground.


I pray that you find some time to focus on God today.  May he fill you with prayer, persistence, and a cloud of witnesses to get you where you need to be spiritually.  May he help you shed your earthly distractions so you can see him more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly.

Frame & Focus

One of my "when I grow up" day dreams is to be a fabulously artsy photographer.  You know the kind: her every snapshot is elegantly composed, beautifully lit, suffused with story.  In this Instagram, camera-phone-at-the-ready, my delusions are all the more dangerous.
 
So here I am, with a kabillion (truly, I counted) lame pictures, cluttering up the digital cloud. 

But every once in a magic moment, I manage to frame the scene and focus on the subject and capture the moment's beauty.  I cannot credit skill or an artistic eye or educated experience... It is simply persistence that pays off.  How I love that digital photography makes persistence — snapping hundreds and kabillions of photos — possible.

What can I say?  I like to frame, to focus, to train my eye and brain to capture things as I hope to always see them.

Which is why I love January: a lovely month for framing our lives and focusing our minds' eyes on capturing our best selves.  

For me, January is not about resolutions (self control is the most elusive fruit of the Spirit for this gal); it is about focusing my sights, my soul, on one word.  Last year my anchor word, my guiding principal, was "light."  This year, after many prayers, I am framing my decisions and focusing my vision on the "present."

I want to live in the present moment, to be truly present and engaged with my Mister and my kids, my family and friends — conscientiously unplugging from life-sucking electronic, household, and ego-centric distractions and consciously plugging into life-giving relationships.

I want to be mindful of and grateful for God's presents: the gift of Jesus and his love, grace, and salvation; the gifts of the Spirit (may self-control be ever more prevalent); the gifts and talents has has bestowed on me (and may I employ them for his glory); the gifts he blesses me with every day (family, friends, home, church, chocolate and wine — okay, maybe not EVERY day).

I want to fill myself up with God's presence.  (Okay, I know what you're thinking: that's not technically the same word.  I'm exercising a poetic license loophole.)  More time in his word (see my anal 2013 Bible Reading Plan), more time in prayer, more time in devotional reading and writing.  More time to be still, to rest in the peace of knowing God. 

I want to pour out God's presence, to tune in to God and hear clearly how he wants to work through me in my little corner of the world.  How can I serve him and those in need?  How can I be God's hands and feet; how can I share his word?  How can I be the humble jar of clay pouring out his rejuvenating Spirit? 

This is how I hope to frame my days and my year.  This is how I want to focus my thoughts and decisions.  I know there will be days when I forget to be present, in his presence, enjoying his presents.  I will clutter the spiritual album of 2013 with lame attempts and imperfect images.  But I know that God will help me to persist.  When I forget and fall short, he will remind me with a word, he will focus my blurred vision and frame my perspective with his forgiveness and grace and love.  He will use this simple anchor word to help me be my best, to glorify the best in him.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33

I pray God helps you to find your focus to frame this bright-shiny-new year.  May it be so very full of his presence and his presents for you. 

Christmas Past, Christmas Present

Happy New Year!

I'm off to a frenzied, purging organizing start to 2013.  Last week I tackled the laundry/craft room and the storage room.  (That's where we stuff our stuff to the rafters until my mister is saying, "Where does all this stuffing stuff come from?!!"  Except his version doesn't sound so tame.)  Then I spent the weekend packing up Christmas: putting away presents, boxing up decorations, winding up lights, writing down "thank you"s and memories.



So now the house is bare, in a nakedly new and promising way.  I'm on a new page in a new calendar.  There is physical and mental space to breathe in winter's rest.

Christmas is over.  Done.  We put a fork in it, and it tasted so good.

Christmas, once again, passed by in a flash.  But is it in the past?  

No.

Ask several of my neighbors, whom I cheered this morning for still having their Christmas trees up, protesting the calendar, defying the dry winter air, holding on to the Christmas spirit.  Ask our dog, who "watered" our own Christmas tree, naked but still green, standing in a snowbank at the end of the drive, pointing to heaven proudly.  It seems to live on.

Christmas lives on.

Emmanuel.  God with us – he is still present.  The humble babe in the manger.  The humble king who conquered death on the cross.  These are presents we receive each and every day.

Christmas can't be contained in a calendar, in one day or one season sandwiched between Thanksgiving and New Years.  (That might explain why I'm still eating Christmas cookies.)  God didn't give Jesus once, crossing it off his list and retiring afterward.  Jesus lives.  Christmas keeps giving.

And as much as I like the releasing the physical and social clutter of Christmas, I rejoice at this.  Yahoo!  God's greatest gift keeps giving!
  
Jesus has come into the world and into our hearts.  To stay.  To live.  To change us.  To love us.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

1 John 4:9 (NIV) 

I don't want to lose that focus on the gift of Jesus even though I am focusing on a new year.

But I know myself.  I'm an out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of gal.  

Can you relate?

How do we keep the truest present of Christmas present?  Living?  Ongoing?  Alive and well in our hearts, for always?  How do we remember the miraculous birth in Bethlehem now that the brouhaha has ended and the baubles have been boxed up?

Here is what the Spirit sang into my heart this morning...  Do you know the hymn?

 
Turn your eyes upon Jesus...
Turn to the Living Word, that was present in the beginning and became present on earth that night in the manger.  Our relationship with Jesus lives and grows each time we seek him in the written word.  

I, for one, am sticking my Bible right smack in the middle of the coffee table in the middle of the living room.  I may be de-cluttering everywhere else in the house, but God's love letter – big and bound and full of boundless grace – that is going to prominantly grace our home and our hearts.

Look full in his wonderful face...
Where do we see Jesus' face?  Well, if you've seen "Les Mis" on the silver screen (or Broadway, or read the book...), you know that "to love another person is to see the face of God."  I'm reminding myself to see the Christ child in my loved ones and in strangers.  (Especially when that is not so easy... this morning's sticky spilt cranberry juice, sibling squabbles, and slow-motion, aisle-clogging grocery shoppers come to mind.)

When it's hard to see Jesus in the faces around me, I lean into the promise that his face – his whole body – is alive and well in church.  As we congregate and worship and serve, as we praise and confess and glorify, we are his body.  We feel his wondrous presence and become his presence in the world.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim...
Whenever we feed the hungry, clothe the poor, nurse the sick, console the broken-hearted, or include the lonely, we feed and clothe and love Jesus.  When we work to DIMinish earthly angst – hunger and hurt, want and wandering – we keep the Christmas gift alive.  We embrace Jesus' humble arrival on earth, we give the gift of his presence to others.  Like the little drummer boy, we play our best for him by sharing our talents to celebrate and glorify God.

In the light of his glory and grace.
This is how his light and his love shines.  The star of Bethlehem beckons.  Someone sings Noel.  A gift is given, in a small and simple package, but with a significance beyond measure. 

We can be that gift.  We can sing that tune.  We can spread that light.  We can keep the Christmas spirit and hope and joy in our hearts and in our corners of the world, even if the calendar insists it is January.

May you find a moment to fill yourself up with the fullness of Christ today, to look full in his wonderful face.  And may you pour out his love and grace and gift to others, so that Christmas stays in the present.

Wandering and Whining in the Wilderness

Reading the introduction to Numbers in my Lutheran Study Bible, this phrase smacked me right-dab-in-the-middle of my forehead...  "wandering and whining in the wilderness."  The author is referring to the Israelites waaaaay back in the day.  But it might as well be describing me for the past few months.

Where, oh where, has my dedication and devotion gone?  I could muse about this for days.  Thankfully, I hear God calling me to him instead.  "Forget then.  Let's focus on now.  Gather your scattered focus and sit awhile at my feet.  Hear my words.  Feel my love.  Start new.  Now.  Today."

With a deep, restful, peace-filled sigh, I do.

And this is what I find: Right from the get go in Numbers, God creates order in the wilderness.  In calling Moses and Aaron to conduct a census of Israel, he numbers the men of each tribe and delegates their roles.  The Levite men are to serve as priests; the men of the other tribes are to defend the nation.  He counts each head and provides purpose.  He even sets forth a specific plan for a camp.  Goodbye chaos.

Here is my hope: spiritual order amidst chaos, faithful pattern rising from randomness, higher purpose in the wilderness.

Lord God, you know my personal wilderness.  My summer days are strewn with activities and adventure, pulling my family here and there and everywhere but your presence.  My wanderings wind through job opportunities and finding the proper fit, through my kids' needs and wants and ambitions, through weekends away and weekdays swaying in laundry, packing, cleaning, and carpooling.  My whining is about the kids' whining about their siblings' whining which makes me want to drown in a large, lush glass of... yes... wine.

God, you are with me in my wilderness, and we laugh together about how small these worries and wanderings and whinings are in the whole scheme of things.  You promise order.  Purpose.  Counting of what counts.  Calling to a higher cause.  Help me to quiet my body and my mind to hear your higher plan.  Help me to turn my focus from the wildness of these earthly whirlpools, and focus on your wondrous will instead.

Thank you, God.  You are so very, very good.  Thank you for your patience with my wandering and my whining.  Thank you for your never-wavering love which pulls me out of the wilderness.  Thank you for counting me and claiming me and calling to me, until I pause and listen and truly hear what you have to say.

Amen.