Focus Redefined

It was thirty-six days to the end of the year in 2019; when I wrote on my Facebook page, May you go into 2020 with a solid focus for tapping your full potential!!!  I didn’t realize then; this would be a word for me as well for 2020. We had quite an unusual year! As we stepped into 2021, I encouraged us to keep hope alive, knowing that our heavenly Father is going ahead of us. We are almost a quarter of the way into 2021. What has FOCUS meant for you in these last months?

2020 has gone by; there were so many lessons and new ways of learning to live. Like all forms of adaptation, we have adjusted somewhat to the recent “normal” whether we like it or not. We have been globally affected by the pandemic, which perhaps resulted in the loss of focus for us all in different ways. How can we, as individuals, organizations, and a nation, regain a sense of normality or focus in this new normal? To answer this question, l think it is time to redefine focus.

FOCUS is a word l have been giving much attention to, and I often find myself returning to it. It started in April of 2019. I would periodically go to bed thinking about it and wake to its glare from my brain’s primary visual cortex. It was like a message someone released as a notification. Over a few months, I couldn’t stop seeing it. I didn’t know what it meant for me or how to address it. I only prayed occasionally for the grace to discover what the “focus” message was attempting to convey?  A year or more later, l am beginning to understand the word from a renewed perspective.

FOCUS is the ability to direct, redirect, gain control of your inner strengths to stay on task about your personal, professional, and organizational goals despite the horror of the situation that is the pandemic. FOCUS is the ability to have a tunnel-like vision, one in which you only see the light at the end through the eyes of faith. The level of that depends on your relationship with God. Hebrews 11:1.

FOCUS pushes you to wash out the external and internal noises of the syndrome of the l can’t/ you can’t make it and replaces it to “l can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”FOCUS tells us where to place our energies in alignment with the direction we need to veer regardless of a defined circumstance. Philippians 4:13.

Today, if you’re struggling to find or regain FOCUS, l encourage you to use every ounce of faith that you have to change anything that allows you to steer away from focusing on the needed solutions to your situation. It’s time to pray your way through the distraction! It’s time to take courageous steps to do things differently.  I believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is sending me these reminders to share them with you. 

As l think thoroughly about the word, it becomes a matter of choice. I choose to focus on being productive instead of focusing on the magnitude of a situation beyond everyone’s control. I conquered my fears at the beginning of the pandemic by telling them who was in charge of my emotions and thoughts. I reminded myself daily who was my source. I put the psalmist’s words into action ” think about everything good and praiseworthy”! I would declare every morning: God, you woke me up this morning; thank you for the grace to be here, thank you for opening my eyes to see the magnitude of your divine protection. Allow me to focus on what l can do today for your glory.

The pausing of our daily routines with the pandemic’s interruptions created a shift beyond our wildest imaginations. We all felt it in different ways. It ravaged the lives of millions. It left us lost and separated from our loved ones. Some are still experiencing the ramifications of this challenging time. If you are feeling lost or overwhelmed still about the next steps, here are a few things that you can do to debunk that. Take a moment to digest the following questions as you reflect on the answers. Make a conscious effort to focus on genuine answers to these questions. Now, pause to reflect.

1. Where were you as an individual or an organization before the pandemic?
2. What are some of the things that you or your organization did to ensure that you put measures in place right away for safety?
3. How did COVID-19 affect you as an organization or an individual?
4. How has your faith been tested as a worshiper? 
5. What are you doing to rebuild your focus on that task or project you need to complete?
6. Are you letting everything and everyone’s actions get in the way of your attention?
7. Are your reactions/interactions, perspective/perceptions hindering your ability to direct your thoughts to the right contributors that will support you in staying on task with your focus?
8. How has it affected your worship ministry?
9. What were some of the ways your church supported reentry?
10. Do you currently feel safe in your daily “ins and outs” of life? 

After you have given these questions enough time to settle internally, are there some that jump out to you more than others? The answer to these questions will differ. I want to finally encourage you to hold a space to dedicate your goals to God as you develop solutions for moving forward in your personal and professional life. As l close, l invite you to take a pause and pray this prayer with me.

Father God, l commit everything to you, who l am, what l am, and where l am. May you come and dwell in every space of my life. May you continue to work on me not to allow any external noises of hardships and things l can not control dampen my desire to passion for serving you. I want to stay focused on the task that you have afforded me. I need your strategies to proceed in my _________. I can’t imagine life’s direction now without you. Thank you for directing my paths to the roads you wish me to travel.

The blank space is an opportunity to name what you want God to do for you as you proceed to regain or redefine focus for yourself. Overall, remember He is your source as a worshiper. He will never forsake His own. May you find peace in knowing God is faithful to take you through the processes and storms of life.