FOCUS ON ME

Hello, Lemonaders!! We are halfway through the year of 2020. Just 6 months ago many people were making their New Year's resolutions and were stacking their goals for the new year higher than folded laundry. But here we are--stuck in the crazy web of the virus. Not COVID-19. Well, yes. But more so the virus of not remaining....

My New Year's blog for 2020 included an acronym for F.O.C.U.S. I could have you to go back to that post, but to save you some time I have included my vision for this year right here in my own beautiful handwriting (ha ha!):

Have you been able to do any of this during this year? I know. It's tough. But God has been pushing me past my comfort zone even more despite all that is going on around me. And hopefully you are working toward your goals as well.

Be Fearless In My Faith---

What better time, during uncertain times, is there to be fearless in our faith? Faith that the Lord will continue to carry us through; faith that expresses and believes that better is coming; faith that does not have to see anything to keep trusting in God's Word versus what the world is screaming at us. This can be true as we continue to deal with the pandemic, racism, or just everyday life.

Personal Life Lesson #1: No faith equals unbelief. There is no other way around this. The scriptures say that "without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God." (Hebrews 11:16). Why is this? Either I trust that God is telling me the truth or I don't. There are no two ways about it. If I don't trust Him my actions, or the lack thereof, will run in the opposite direction of what He is leading me to do. For me, I have often allowed the fear of unknown to lead the way. If I didn't understand everything then I did nothing--except to run and hide in fear. Slowly and surely, I am learning to trust in God more. What looks like harm is actually part of the training ground that God has me on. Things that seem to be unsafe are actually things to help to mold me to the woman of God that I was always meant to be. Will overcoming unbelief be easy? Absolutely not. It will take time to develop trust in the Lord just like it takes time to trust anyone else. But a developing trust is a sign of a developing faith.

Overcome Obstacles That Will Help Me To Grow---

Have you been progressively overcoming obstacles? These can be obstacles of defeat, anguish, and despair. God says that "we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37). You know the best way to begin believing this and jumping over the hurdles of life? Open His book (God's Word), and get on your knees in prayer.

Personal Life Lesson #2: Righteousness does not equal a risk-free life. Why has this been an obstacle for me? Until very recently, I only thought of righteousness through the narrow lens of doing right and avoiding wrong. There is truth to this way of thinking and living, but it leaves no room for walking in faith (personal lesson #1) when the way seems unclear. For years, I have only focused on the right thing to do. Gimme a gold star and move me to the front of the class! But hold your applause. In my trying to do what was right, I often hit the invisible obstacles of legalism and unnecessary restrictions mostly on myself. Oftentimes, if I don't know what to do I automatically default to what I have always done. This is not always a bad thing, but it can sometimes lead to a hindrance in spiritual growth. God never called us to a risk-free life. The writer of Philippians 3:9 understood this when he said that "not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith..." God does not want me or you to be a spiritual robot that just spits out what has been programmed into us. He wants us to enjoy life to the fullest while obeying Him.

Commit To My God-Inspired Calling---

What have you been committed to? Watching the news? Browsing and shopping online? Binge watching your favorite shows? Or, are you committed to the calling that Christ has placed on your life? You may have less time or more time than ever, but use the moments of time that God has blessed you with to figure out what He has created you to do for His glory.

Personal Life Lesson #3: Ask somebody. This is simple, yet it has been so profound for me this year. Mini confession session: I struggle with figuring out why God put me on this earth. I mean, I'm glad that He put me here. But I would be lying to you if I said that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what His complete purpose is for me. So, just a few months ago I threw caution to the wind and ripped away the safety net from around my waist, and I reached out to others to ask them this question:

• What callings, strengths and weaknesses, gifts and abilities, stumbling blocks, etc. can you see in my life (present/future)?

I am sure that many of you may know and can tell that I am naturally a private person, so asking this question was epic for me. But the feedback was priceless!!! Proverbs 15:31 states that "If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise." I already feel like I'm on the short bus of life (with my Coke bottle glasses on...LOL!), so the opportunity to be at home with the wise brings me great joy! The feedback that I received gave me a launching pad to help me to develop my faith and get over some of my obstacles. Ya' see how this is all tying in together ;-)

Understand That Everyday Has Purpose---

Yes, it seems like we will never get out of this tunnel. And every time we think we see the light, it is actually an oncoming train. Y'all, I don't particularly like all we are going through either, but thankfully God has a purpose for it all. We don't have to know what the purpose is right now, but we can be thankful that these moments and times will not be wasted.

Personal Life Lesson #4: Praise the Lord anyway! When a person can praise God even when all is going wrong, that is a pure sign of maturity in Christ. I am trying to get this place. He is so worthy of our praise when things are up and when things are down; when things go right and when things go left; when things are alright and when things are all wrong. Give Him Praise!!! God is not using the present events of our lives to fill a void in time. He knew these times were coming, and He WILL use each second of all of this to take us to a new level of a better relationship with Him. In the midst of complete turmoil, Job was able to ask this heavy question: "We take the good days from God--why not also take the bad days?" (Job 2:10 MSG). God does not owe us any favors, and He certainly is not obligated to explain why things are not back to normal or how long this pandemic will last. But we ALWAYS owe Him the praise! Truth be told, I can start complaining about a matter in no time flat. But that gets me nowhere. When I choose to praise, I truly find peace, comfort, and real joy--even with no answers. God has blessed in miraculous ways when I pressed 'stop' on the complaints and pushed 'play' on the praise. What a difference a praise makes!

Stay Clear Of Obvious Distractions---

Lastly, how successful have you been at staying clear of obvious distractions? I would dare say that we have all been distracted in the last few months. And the opportunity for even more distractions are sure to come. But remaining in a distracted state can be very dangerous.

Personal Life Lesson #5: Don't get blindsided. A distracted driver can cause a serious accident, a distracted chef can cause a serious fire, and the list goes on and on. Not paying attention can seem so harmless at first, especially when we get into a groove of doing things a certain way for so long. But the damage of things going off course because we are not paying attention, if not caught in time, can be detrimental. In what we are all going through right now, time can be wasted and much needed rest can be left on the table. And even worse yet, our walk with Christ can be causally put off to the side in order to deal with what's happening now. My dad used to say that we often do what is urgent instead of what is important. I am the queen of distractions. Let me adjust my crown. The bad thing with me is that I find myself grabbing on to distractions in order to not face what I need to tackle. It is more or less a coping mechanism for me. The problem is that the issues or tasks that I need to tackle not only do not go away, but they normally get bigger and become more difficult to handle. Some distractions have lulled me to sleep, and then I find myself right in the middle of the story of Rip Van Winkle--waking up years later having missed out on the greater parts of life. I'm learning. And dare I say this may be the toughest personal life lesson for me. But I a fully aware that I will either focus my attraction on a distraction, or I will stay clear and persevere!

So, how's your focus coming along? In all this chaos that seems to be lasting temporarily forever, Jesus is still calling us to come close to Him. He can still provide us peace that passes all understanding and hope beyond hope. Like the lyrics of the song 'Focus' by H.E.R., I believe that the Lords is asking us: Can you focus on me?

(Yep, I just added the video to a non-church song! But if you're not interested, please scroll down for more inspiration.)

Here are 2 more videos that I hope will be a great help to you: