Unshackled Moments ~ November 8, 2017 ~ Pay Attention To The Focus Of Attention

Do you know why you're supposed to pull into the left lane on a four-lane highway to pass a car on the shoulder, especially a law enforcement officer with lights flashing at night? It's a response to many accidents where a car that has plenty of room to drive right on by has clipped a vehicle on the shoulder, or worse slammed straight into it. Far too many law enforcement officers standing at the pulled over driver's window have been struck by passing cars that had more than enough room to easily pass by safely, even without changing lanes. In videos of the accidents, it often looks like the driver targeted the parked vehicle and drove into it on purpose. There's a reason it appears intentional.

We have a tendency to drift toward whatever we are focused on. It's not just when we drive either. I've seen videos of people walking perfectly straight down a sidewalk, glance off to look at a store window display and angle over in the same direction without noticing. The next thing they know they have walked into a sign or something and people all across social media are laughing at them. It's the reason you look where you want to throw or shoot. Where we focus tends to be where we go. It's even true with our thoughts and emotions.

Have you ever noticed that when you feel sad, that the more you examine and focus on it the worse you feel, often until you are fully and truly depressed? But if something distracts you from it, you begin to cheer up? It's the truth behind the cliche that you can't be hateful and grateful at the same time. We can't focus on more than one direction, situation or thing at a time,

I can. I multitask all the time. I multitask as well, and I think I'm fairly good at it. But the truth is while we may be satisfactorily completing multiple tasks simultaneously, we are not fully focused on any of them. To focus, to pay particular and continuous attention to something, distracts from all else. What is our focus? Are our eyes on Jesus? Is our attention on His will and His love? Are we turning our thoughts toward all things working to good, what He is doing in and through us and drawing closer to Him? Are we dwelling on our relationship with Daddy in gratitude for His love and goodness toward us? Or are we dwelling on the negative and misunderstood and painful?

Bear in mind, I am not suggesting we should put on blinders and not see, acknowledge or address wrong, pain and suffering in our lives and the lives of others. I'm not saying pretend everything is OK when it's not. I'm suggesting that when we encounter misfortune, if we acknowledge it, accept responsibility for our part, if there is any, and turn the situation over to God and turn our heart, thoughts, attention, etc., all of us that participates in our mental and emotional dwelling on Him and things above, that are true, lovely, etc. it makes a difference. The situation may or may not improve, but our reactions will be better. We find peace in the midst of the storm when we focus on the One who gives peace, not when we focus on the wind. It's not when we trick ourselves into delusion and profess the wind isn't blowing but when we realize that even if the wind blows us to pieces we are safe in the arms of Daddy, He loves us and will work even disaster for our good.

When we dwell on the misery and the suffering we fall into self pity and lose sight of the love Daddy has for us. It then becomes a battle to stay surrendered to His will for us, and we begin to try to care for and provide for ourselves and to continue in our own strength. Of course, that is something we have proven through experience time and time again doesn't work. That is when the storm brings true destruction. That's when we are truly in danger, when we are running on self, even if the storm is gone and the sun is shining. The faster we turn our attention from the situation to Him, the less ability the situation has to hurt, hinder or destroy.

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