When We Lose Focus

Ever tried to focus on something but no matter how hard you tried your mind continued to drift off to something else? The distractions and thoughts in our minds alone can keep us from getting things done without any other influences such as other people, noises or other interruptions. Focusing on something or someone is not an easy thing to do but we can discipline ourselves to be better at focusing so our minds don’t wander off to something else.

When we lose focus on what we are trying to do, it is sometimes because we are interrupted by other things or people. But what about the times we are not? What about the times we are alone and undisturbed but we still can’t maintain our focus on what we need to do? When we lose focus it may be because we have other things on our minds that we need to clear out.

Philippians 3:12-14 “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

If we have worry on our minds we can’t really focus on what we need to do. Worry distracts us from getting things done and sometimes leaves us stagnant and searching for quick answers rather than allowing God to be in control. When we worry we are occupying our minds with worthless information of what may never be. When we worry we aren’t doing anything that is helping others or ourselves or God.

If we have guilt on our minds about a sin in our lives, it will keep us from focusing on what we need to do. Sin will take over our lives if we are not careful. When we allow sin to continue in our lives, we will find ourselves moving further and further away from God. We will lose focus on what is important and will become more distant to God and those we love.

If we have sorrow on our minds, we can’t focus. When we feel sorrow for ourselves or others and tend to dwell on it too long, we can’t be who God wants us to be. We can’t be an example to others when we feel sorrow and allow it to keep us from following God’s example. We need to give God our sorrow so He can handle the situation and help us to move on.

When we lose focus we can’t do what God wants us to do. It is harder to pray, to read His word, to serve Him or others. When we lose focus on God, we are being distracted by the things of the world. When we lose focus on praying, we are thinking we are able to handle things ourselves. When we lose focus on reading His word, we are filling our minds with other things that aren’t going to help us. When we lose focus on serving God and others, we are only serving ourselves.

We can focus more by reading God’s word and meditating on it. We can focus more by praying to God and putting everything else out of our minds. We can focus more by listening to what He tells us to do and by helping others. We can focus more by writing our thoughts and God’s instructions down on paper. Learning to focus will give us clarity, allow us to get things done and help us to remember.

We all need to become better at focusing. Learning to focus comes with discipline. Discipline comes through faith in God. Our faith in God comes when we pray more and read His word more. We can do these things if we commit ourselves to God. When we commit ourselves to God, we put everything else after Him. A commitment to God will help focus on Him in all we do. Then we can make a difference.