Your Focus Needs Focus

About three months ago, I started really paying attention to some words that I seem to say a lot - mainly to my kids and especially during the teaching hours. One word consistently makes it way through my teeth and off my lips...FOCUS!

One day I recorded that I said the word 'focus' 11 times within a six-hour span! Well, that demanded a time slot for a family meeting :)

After chatting with my husband about this incredibly strong and over-used word, we decided to make it our family "word of the year!" I started researching what God's Word had to say about it. Judges cautions us to keep our focus on God and not ourselves while Paul warns us in Corinthians how easy it can be to lose our focus. Since we are humans, our need to be realigned with our moral and Biblical warehouse is constant.

This is not just for our children in regards to their school work. It's for me and you as well. We need focus when we sit down to study God's Word and quit thinking about our massive to-do list. Focus is necessary for your college-bound children as they embark on a whole new life completely unknown to them. We need focus and diligence in our jobs as we strive for excellence.

As ironic as it is, when our friends came to pray with us and our home in January, they kept using the word focus. I was amazed! I stopped them to tell them that we have deemed this our family word and how it can apply to so many areas of our lives. They spoke of the need for focus not only in our home but in America. We've lost our way and our priorities. We need to get back to the basics - God's Word - and fix (focus) our eyes on Him.

I'll never forget a picture I saw once of Daniel in the lions den. He was completely at peace while several lions rotated around him. His arms were lifted towards the sky as his head was. He eyes were fixed on Heaven. He wasn't concerned or worried about the seemingly impossible situation around him - he was focused on the only thing that mattered. God.

As another confirmation, we watched the remake of the new movie The Karate Kid. Although I didn't care much for the movie, guess what the main crux was? Focus! It was perfect and completely poignant to our family. The boy is basically wanting to learn karate to get even with several kids who are harassing him at school. He's tired of all the mundane training and is ready to just kick some tail! The patient teacher is consistent and diligent in his training repertoire. At one point, the teacher tells the boy that he needs to focus. The boy blurts out that he is focused. Now here comes my favorite line...the teacher says: "Then your focus needs focus!"

I love that! Your focus needs focus.

Of course, now the kids hear this weekly - and for great reason. But when it leaves my lips and hits their ears, I hear it too. I need focus in my life as much as they do.

Apparently some christian radio stations and pastors knew what I was onto and were trying to catch the wave. Before I knew it, I was hearing the "word of the day" and "word of the year" everywhere I went! Let me just set the record straight and inform you all that it started right here - in the Flint Home (haha!)

If you haven't adopted a word for your family yet, begin thinking about this. What are your priorities - for you and your family? What is the one thing you either need to work on or be constantly reminded of. I have a dear friend that I think should adopt the words 'thankful beyond measure'. They have been through so much the last five years and yet God constantly sustains them no matter how much the Devil has tried to knock them off course.

Just food for thought...besides that, my thoughts don't even cost you a penny - how's that for free? :)