Where is Your Focus? Is Your View Clear?

Like many of you, I have been quarantined for a month now. In recent weeks, I have seen so many posts on social media describing feelings of boredom and cabin fever. I happen to be married with three kids: namely, a six-year-old girl, a four-year-old boy, and a five-month-old boy. Boredom is not a thing in my household. Every moment in my home is quite eventful.

Considering the current state of quarantine, not only am I working from home full-time, but I am also homeschooling my children full-time. It is a blessing I do not take for granted. However, in the same way boredom is not a thing, sleep was not really a thing at the start of this quarantine either. I found myself breaking night trying to compensate for time lost during the day in between school lessons, work that had to get done, and housework that was piling up.

While hovered over a pile of work one night through half-opened eyelids, a sudden, overwhelming sense of conviction came over me. The Holy Spirit convicted me in that moment as I heard in my Spirit, “If only you were willing to put this much time and effort into your relationship with me. If I have done all that I have done with the little you have given me, imagine what I could do with that much more.” I was saddened and enlightened by this revelation all at the same time. I remember purposing in my heart that night that I would be more intentional about spending more time with my Heavenly Father and not just giving Him whatever was left of me.

That same week, as God’s perfect timing would have it, the very lessons I taught my four-year-old and six-year-old from their school curriculum blessed me in a profound way. I should note for relevant purposes that my children attend a private Christian school. Their curriculum is designed in such a way that the Holy Word of God is woven into it across subjects for practical application. While reflecting on this detail, I cannot help but recall in the book of Matthew when the disciples asked Jesus, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And Jesus responded, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The older we grow and the more we “know,” we tend to make basic principles so complicated. And here Jesus was teaching His disciples that he who humbles himself like a little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. He was advising them to have child-like faith. Child-like faith is teachable, humble, and trusting. Think about the way in which a child looks up to his/her earthly father. My children would tell you that their daddy is the strongest man in the world. In their eyes, he knows all things and his word is law. They hang on his every word. This is how we are called to think about our Heavenly Father.

You can understand why then when I joined my daughter in reading her reading assignment, which consisted of a Christian fictional story, I was blown away at the lesson it conveyed. The main character in the story woke up and had a horrible day from start to finish. Everything you could think of went wrong for the child in the story, from mismatched socks to missing the school bus. He chose to let it affect his entire day and complained about everything that went wrong. He treated his friends horribly as a result of his frustration, and he was ungrateful at his friend’s attempt to share half of his lunch with him after he forgot his own lunch because he did not like his friend’s sandwich.

Does this story sound familiar yet? Since the onset of the current worldwide pandemic we are witnessing, a lot has gone wrong. Maybe you lost your job or your work hours were cut back. Maybe you feel inconveniently “stuck” at home with your children and have been tasked with educating them, something you are not used to. Maybe you have had trouble getting basic necessities and toiletries because the store has run out of stock every time you finally made it inside the store. I could go on, but there is enough complaining going around that I do not need to add to.

At the end of the fictional story my daughter read for her assignment, she was given questions to answer based on her reading. She had to identify whether she believed the character was focused on himself or on God. Then, she had to explain how the character’s reaction to his day might have been different had he been focused on God and not on himself. Do you see where I’m going with this, Sis?

Where is your focus currently? Much like a camera lens out of focus does not produce a clear picture, if you are not focused on Christ, your outlook on your circumstances will not be clear. If your outlook is unclear, you miss what the Lord wants to teach you in that moment. How do you focus, you say? You spend more time at the feet of Jesus. You desire, and you act on that desire, to draw closer to God by feeding your spirit His Holy Word and teachings.

Drilling it in further, I proceeded to give my son his lesson that same day. His lesson ended up being centered on the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha, found in Luke 10:38-42. When Jesus arrived at their house, Martha was distracted preparing a meal and serving it. The whole time Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus hearing his word. Martha was offended by this and complained to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” Jesus’s answer blew me away. He says to Martha, and I paraphrase, “You are worrying and troubling yourself about so many things. But only one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that thing, which will not be taken away from her.”

Whew! Imagine being corrected by Jesus when you thought He was going to side with you, because you were too busy concerning yourself with petty matters in the grand scheme of things! Ultimately, the Lord showed me how Martha was being selfish in that moment. She was concerned about herself and how offended she felt. She was not concerned with being at the feet of Jesus and hearing His word, like Mary. Martha’s focus was Martha, while Mary’s focus was Jesus. Mary had a clear view of what was taking place. She knew that more important than trying to impress Jesus with fancy preparations, she needed to take hold of this opportunity to hear his word because nothing could compare to drawing closer to Him in that moment. Mary’s focus was pleasing to Jesus.

Sis, in the midst of these uncertain times, is your view clear? Are you worrying yourself with focusing on everything that is going wrong? Do you find yourself complaining about how hard this has been on you and how much you just can’t wait until things go back to “normal?” I advise you to take this time to focus instead on the matchless goodness of the Lord. If you have shelter, praise Him! If you have not starved to death, praise Him! If 'Rona has not conquered you, praise Him! If your needs have been met and you are alive and well, praise Him! If your children are still in good health, praise Him!

Now take this newfound time you have and spend it at the feet of Jesus hearing His word. I dare you! Report back and tell me how this alters your quarantine experience. I’d love to hear all about it. You can share by commenting below, or feel free to share your testimony with us at testify@sheprayed.com. I leave you with the words of John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Be the Lord’s instrument today in a chaotic world!

Mercedes Glasgow