Where's Your Focus?
“Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that was lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:2
In today’s world, there’s more things now than ever out there to distract us. With every new headline, there’s a new controversy out there. Even more than the news, there’s the latest gadgets to get, the open job promotion at work—it’s so easy to put our focus on one thing only to look at something else ten minutes later. In fact, a recent study reported that the “human attention span has fallen from an average of 12 seconds in the year 2000 to just eight seconds today. Humans now have less of an attention span than a goldfish (nine seconds average)” (Borrelli). What does the Bible have to say about where our attention should be? Who or what, as Christians, should we focus on?
Let’s take a look at a lesson the disciples learned one day, when they were out in a fishing boat. Jesus had sent the disciples ahead of him so He could take some time away from the crowds and pray to God. Afterwards, he appeared to the disciples in the middle of storm—and they were afraid. But Jesus commanded Peter to come to him. “Peter started walking on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:29-30). The second Peter got distracted, he began to drown. Isn’t that what happens when we get distracted? When we start focusing on the distractions in our lives, we lose focus of the Savior—the One who keeps us from drowning in the first place!
Knowing that our attention span is a weakness, how can we strive to keep our eyes on Jesus? How can we keep Jesus in the center of our vision? First, identify the distraction. Whatever it is—news headlines, social media posts, new gadget updates, whatever it might be—minimize those distractions. Delete the app from your phone for awhile, or turn off those notifications. Second, put reminders of God’s truths in front of you wherever you go. Write a verse on a post-it and stick it at your desk, tape a 3x5 card to your bathroom mirror—clear the fridge door, take a dry-erase marker and write a verse on it! When you can see it, you can use it to refocus yourself on the truth of God’s word, you can re-center your attention on Jesus.
Be encouraged that when you keep Jesus the center of your story, when you focus on God’s truth daily—you are standing on a solid rock—God has You in the palm of His hand. Storms will come, struggles will happen, but if we stand firm on the Word of the Lord, keep our eyes on Him, we can live with hope, knowing that this world is not our home and that one day, we will be living in Heaven with Jesus.
Borreli, Lizette. “Why a Goldfish Probably Has a Better Attention Span than You.” Medical Daily, 14 May 2015, www.medicaldaily.com/human-attention-span-shortens-8-seconds-due-digital-technology-3-ways-stay-focused-333474.
In today’s world, there’s more things now than ever out there to distract us. With every new headline, there’s a new controversy out there. Even more than the news, there’s the latest gadgets to get, the open job promotion at work—it’s so easy to put our focus on one thing only to look at something else ten minutes later. In fact, a recent study reported that the “human attention span has fallen from an average of 12 seconds in the year 2000 to just eight seconds today. Humans now have less of an attention span than a goldfish (nine seconds average)” (Borrelli). What does the Bible have to say about where our attention should be? Who or what, as Christians, should we focus on?
Let’s take a look at a lesson the disciples learned one day, when they were out in a fishing boat. Jesus had sent the disciples ahead of him so He could take some time away from the crowds and pray to God. Afterwards, he appeared to the disciples in the middle of storm—and they were afraid. But Jesus commanded Peter to come to him. “Peter started walking on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:29-30). The second Peter got distracted, he began to drown. Isn’t that what happens when we get distracted? When we start focusing on the distractions in our lives, we lose focus of the Savior—the One who keeps us from drowning in the first place!
Knowing that our attention span is a weakness, how can we strive to keep our eyes on Jesus? How can we keep Jesus in the center of our vision? First, identify the distraction. Whatever it is—news headlines, social media posts, new gadget updates, whatever it might be—minimize those distractions. Delete the app from your phone for awhile, or turn off those notifications. Second, put reminders of God’s truths in front of you wherever you go. Write a verse on a post-it and stick it at your desk, tape a 3x5 card to your bathroom mirror—clear the fridge door, take a dry-erase marker and write a verse on it! When you can see it, you can use it to refocus yourself on the truth of God’s word, you can re-center your attention on Jesus.
Be encouraged that when you keep Jesus the center of your story, when you focus on God’s truth daily—you are standing on a solid rock—God has You in the palm of His hand. Storms will come, struggles will happen, but if we stand firm on the Word of the Lord, keep our eyes on Him, we can live with hope, knowing that this world is not our home and that one day, we will be living in Heaven with Jesus.
Borreli, Lizette. “Why a Goldfish Probably Has a Better Attention Span than You.” Medical Daily, 14 May 2015, www.medicaldaily.com/human-attention-span-shortens-8-seconds-due-digital-technology-3-ways-stay-focused-333474.
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