Focus – Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

For the past few years, I’ve chosen a word to represent what I feel God is calling me to accomplish in that year. That word that will keep me centered on my God-given tasks, my calling.

For a while, I thought it would be one thing, but then another came to my mind. My very jumbly mind. But then, with clarity, it became apparent that my word this year is to be …

Focus.

SEEKING AND FINDING

I went to my Strong’s Concordance. Would you believe focus isn’t in there? To find this, one must go to the appendix. I did that, but it still wasn’t what I was seeking, so, I pulled out my trusty Thesaurus. Some of the words that are synonymous are direct, fix on, center of attention.

Now, I was getting somewhere. The word direct took me to Proverbs 3:6 (KJV) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. This is the first time I thought of direct as meaning to cause me to focus. I like that. New meaning for an old favorite.

My search didn’t lead me to this verse, but it came to mind, Philippians 4:8 (ESV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Another favorite.

OBEYING HIS VOICE

From this, I’ve already begun the revamping of my writing life. Since I first began writing seriously in 2014, God has always been the one to direct my paths. He’s the one who opened doors and put people on that path who would come along to teach me, to help me in various ways, to pray for me and for my writing. He put encouragers of the highest order in my path. I readily give thanks for and praise God for this.

But that verse from Philippians got little of my attention over the past almost sixteen months. If you’ve read my blogs or newsletters, you know those were not the happiest, most-fulfilling months of my life. Between some family issues and watching my sister get closer and closer to and finally enter her heavenly home, my focus was on almost anything besides those things.

But just this week, God laid those verses before me. He’s calling me back to my purpose, back to the gift He’s so graciously given to me. I know that whatever life brings, these are the things upon which I need to set my focus—Jesus before me, the Light unto my path. And I’m to let go of all the wounds, disappointments, deep sorrows of this past year and look only to those things laid out in Philippians. My thinking will be focused on these things. My eyes and my heart will be focused on Jesus, first and last.

Focus - Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus @DDuPreeWilliams #faith #focus #TurnYourEyesUponJesus Share on X

WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO YOU?

Don’t you love how God speaks to us when we’re seeking? Even if it’s for the word that is to be our guide for the year or the words we write in our blog posts.

So, in finding my word and wanting to share that with you, God led me to two of my favorite verses. Are they speaking to you? What are they saying to you? What will be your focus for 2022? Whatever it is, I pray that first and last, you will turn your eyes upon Jesus.

 

This childhood favorite speaks to my heart far more deeply than it did when we first sang it in Sunday School. I pray this will bless you. It doesn’t sound like it at first but wait for it!