A New Focus for A New Year

“Here’s what I want you to do: 

Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. 

Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. 

The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace." 

Matthew 6:6 MSG

In the beautiful movie, The Art of Racing in the Rain, race car driver Denny Swift says, “The car goes where the eyes go.”  I think we can take that basic concept and apply it to our lives-our life goes where our focus is. It's the start of a brand new year. We can either face the unknown future of 2020 with a "que sera sera" attitude of whatever will be will be, or we can choose our focus for the coming year. 

Shakespeare wrote these beautiful words, 

"...Love is not love 

Which alters when it alteration finds, 

Or bends with the remover to remove. 

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark 

That looks on tempests and is never shaken; 

It is the star to every wand'ring bark..."

To Shakespeare, love was the ever-fixed mark that could withstand all of the storms and tempests and unknowns in life. But, you and I know the truth-human love is weak and fallible. As Christ followers we know that God, Who is love in all of its fullness, is our ever-fixed mark that enables us to walk through storms and tempests and life's unknowns. 

If it's true that that life will go where my focus is, how do I shift my focus to God? How do I make Him the ever-fixed mark for my life?  Here are some things that I have found helpful.   (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, January 5th, at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Susan B. Mead

Sue Moore Donaldson