FoCUS

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:9 NKJV

Plans. My plans included the house we were going to buy before having kids and the one-hour labor and natural delivery I was going to have in birthing my kids. But things didn’t go as I planned. Proverbs 19:21 reminds me, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand,” (ESV). If it’s the purpose of the Lord that stands, how do I uncover it? Holy Spirit said, “Through the Sabbath.”

Rest. When God brought His people out of Egypt, slavery—doing what someone else said, when and how they said—was all they’d ever known. Therefore, God commanded, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” (Exodus 20:8 NIV). The root word of Sabbath means “to take a rest; to sit down, to sit still.” It takes discipline to rest. But the benefits far exceed that of continuous motion.

Busyness. Too often I’m distracted by multiple projects or needs at once, losing sight of the bigger picture. Though I’m constantly active, if it’s not moving me toward the most important things, it’s meaningless. Yesterday, Holy Spirit challenged me to fast busyness. Doing so gave me what God’s been trying to give me all year: FoCUS.

Family First (Keeping my priorities in sight).

others on the outside (Maintaining healthy boundaries).

Christ at the Center (Gluing our family together).

Us United (Making every effort to meet each other’s needs).

Self-Care (Necessary in caring for others).

Honoring the Sabbath gave me a chance to recharge, see my projects from a clearer perspective, and refocus on the important things.

Maybe, like me, you’ve let your plans dictate the flow of your life. A wise teacher once said, “The plan may change a million different times. The plan is not what’s important. Jesus is. Don’t focus on the plan. Focus on Jesus.” It’s time to lay our plans down and seek God’s purpose. When we seek Him with disciplined and undistracted hearts, He’ll reveal His plan and purpose to us, which far outweigh any that we could make on our own!

©Heather Potts 2017