Do you like tomatoes? I love eating them, especially when they are deep red and vine ripe. In fact, my older brother, David, and I used to eat them like apples when we were growing up.
Last night I was making burgers for dinner. As I was about to put everything on the table, I grabbed a big, red tomato to slice for the burgers. As I sliced the tomato, I noticed the juice flowing from it seemed darker red than normal, then the sting came. The juice wasn’t from the tomato, it was from my thumb that I’d just sliced.
OUCH!
Fortunately, I wasn’t completely distracted and stopped before I did too much damage; however, if I had focused my attention on what I was doing, I would have avoided the injury completely.
My booboo on my thumb.
This can happen literally and spiritually. If we don’t watch where we’re going, we can trip and fall. Often we spend more time focusing on our past than paying attention to the present. It’s important to remember our past because it allows us to thank the Lord for what He has done for us; however, we aren’t supposed to camp out there. Proverbs 4:25 says,
Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”
Many times in life we end up getting hurt because we don’t keep our focus where it needs to be. We’re more concerned with what others think or how they may respond to us than we are the Lord. Hebrews 12:2 says,
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
What are some steps you can take to ensure your focus is where it needs to be? Share them here so we can learn from one another. It’s a dangerous world out there. Pay attention!
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