I then decided to shut off my phone and really started looking. The longer I stared at the sky, with no interruptions and without turning on the electronic in my hand, more and more little stars popped up. Each distraction-free moment brought new stars to my vision, brighter and more twinkly than the next. The sky became darker, everything else faded away, but the galaxies seemed to roar.
That's when God spoke to me.
"Daughter, this is what happens when you focus your attention fully on Me, and Me alone. Just as looking away at an electronic makes it hard for you to see the stars that I set in place, turning your focus to distracting things in your life will make it hard to focus on Me. But when you set everything aside, and intentionally seek Me and run to Me with full force, everything else will grow strangely dim, and you will find Me like these stars in the night."
My, how that hit me. I forget how caught up I get with the distractions in my life. Friends, family, school, random activities, even church can be a huge distraction. So many times I have been so busy, not even realizing that I have stopped looking at Jesus. My gaze is no longer on Him, but on the world.
Excuses start slipping in, like "I didn't have time to do devotions because I need to get this paper done," or "I'm just so tired, I'll spend time with God tomorrow..." and then focusing on Him becomes even harder. My thoughts start getting lost in all of the tasks and activities the day holds, and before I realize it, I can't really see my Savior anymore. The world has overtaken my vision.
Here is what I am trying to say: we must daily, even hourly be intentional about drawing our gaze back to God. Just as I had to be intentional about shutting off my phone to be able to see the stars, we must make an effort to shut off the distractions that keep our attention from God.
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7
"Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith..." Hebrews 12:1-2a
Excuses start slipping in, like "I didn't have time to do devotions because I need to get this paper done," or "I'm just so tired, I'll spend time with God tomorrow..." and then focusing on Him becomes even harder. My thoughts start getting lost in all of the tasks and activities the day holds, and before I realize it, I can't really see my Savior anymore. The world has overtaken my vision.
Here is what I am trying to say: we must daily, even hourly be intentional about drawing our gaze back to God. Just as I had to be intentional about shutting off my phone to be able to see the stars, we must make an effort to shut off the distractions that keep our attention from God.
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7
"Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith..." Hebrews 12:1-2a
"My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek." -Psalm 27:8
Today, continue.
Today, keep seeking.
xo
Today, continue.
Today, keep seeking.
xo
