Focus

As we rush about our lives, trying to keep up with the demands of the world, we regularly fail to notice everything going on around us. Think of the last time you ran to the store and didn't see someone until they called your name to get your attention. If they hadn't called out to you, you wouldn't have even known they were there. All too often this seems to be the pattern in our spiritual lives too. We get too busy worrying about the world and what it tells us to do that we sometimes miss the small and simple things in life. Have you ever stopped to watch the way a snowflake gently drifts to the ground settling in among the many that have come before? Maybe this is a little silly to some people, but when I park on a hill I smile every time my car door opens or closes for me because of gravity. Looking around during the different seasons, notice the many different colors. I like to think that God provides one for each of us because he knows we're all different and like different colors. If we're always rushing through life, we miss these things. Instead of focusing on the beautiful petals of the rose in front of us, all we see is the concrete of the sidewalk as it winds on and reminds us of things we need to do. As we fill our lives and minds with so much STUFF, we are blocking out the Spirit. Take the ear phones out, put the phone away, and just notice! It might just be that the next person to walk by needs that smile from you, even if they have no idea who you are. Just because we are in the world doesn't mean we have to be OF the world. Try changing your focus from the demands of the world to the things of the spirit. If you do, everything will work.