When I was a little girl, I enjoyed sitting on the porch watching the ants moving in a straight line, one behind the other, patiently walking across the concrete. One day I noticed something amazing. They appeared to be carrying crumbs of food on their backs which seemed to be so easy. I focused my sights on them even more, trying to figure out how they could carry such heavy loads on their little, tiny backs. Sometimes if the crumb was large, they would work together in carrying it into their sand filled holes.
I bring this up because it’s easy to think about and focus on things that can get our attention for hours and even days. However, we must be careful of the things we focus our sights on if they don’t bring us hope or joy. There are so many negative things going on in this world today, that if we think on them too long, we can become fixated and focused on things that leave us with grief and even sorrow.
“Think on This” for a minute. If we focus on the news reports of hatred, murder, or the disasters that appear to come out of nowhere, we can easily struggle to make it from day to day. If we place our attention on all the things that are wrong in our personal lives instead of what’s right—we will be miserable at best. But on the flip side of that, if we start focusing on the right stuff, it can add peace to our lives and promote happiness to our days.
The Bible records that God will keep us in “perfect” peace, if we keep our minds stayed on Him. If we focus our sights on His Word and what it says concerning the things we see, hear, or experience, the likelihood of enjoying each day we’re blessed to live increases tremendously. We owe it to ourselves to purpose focusing on the positive and not just the negative. We owe it to ourselves to embrace the good and stay focused on those things that enlighten our days with hope.
Take a moment today to take inventory of the things that you’ve been focused on. Do they make you happy or make you sad? Do they bring you peace or flood your heart with anxiety? Do they make you want to continue on in this life or give up before your life is really over. You have the power to take your eyes off the negative things around you and bring into focus the things that bring you peace, laughter, and hope. Exercise that power today and focus on all the good things that are going on in your life. You can do it if you make it a top priority going forward.
