Sometimes we can just lose focus when it comes to our destiny, which is the “why” behind what we do. Paul’s destiny included going to Rome. I am sure he kept that in mind as the waves were crashing against the ship. There will be waves crashing against your ship, too. Can you keep your Rome in sight?
Occasionally we can lose focus because we are so preoccupied with what we need that we have forgotten what God has done for us so far.
One day Jesus was talking with His disciples. They were a little panicked because they had traveled to the other side of the sea and had forgotten to bring bread. They wondered how they were going to eat. I can just see Jesus shaking His head as He asked, “Why are you worried about the bread? Don’t you remember that we fed 5,000 with just two loaves and five fish? Maybe you can tell me how many leftovers there were.”
I can hear the disciples saying, very quietly, “Um, 12 baskets full.”
Jesus said, “I can’t hear you — how many were there?”
Perhaps the disciples were a little embarrassed then, as they answered a little louder, “Twelve.”
Jesus continued, “And if I’m not mistaken, we recently fed 4,000 men with just seven loaves and a few fish. How many baskets were left over then?”
The disciples probably replied very sheepishly, “Seven.”
Jesus asked, “What was that?”
The disciples replied a little louder, “Seven large baskets of leftovers.”
Was Jesus trying to embarrass them? No.
He was sharpening their focus. Were they going to study and worry about the need before them and panic, or were they going to remember the provision Jesus had always made for them?
A warrior focuses on what she is going to… not what she is going through.
On my journey toward my goal of getting a black belt in karate, I had to learn to break boards (it’s a great way to work off frustration and much safer than breaking someone’s head!) Breaking boards has little to do with strength and everything to do with focus. I have seen little girls smash through a board effortlessly, while brawny men hurt their hands. I learned that in order to split the board, I’d focus on the spot beyond the piece of wood – not on the board itself. If I focused on the board, my hand might just stop at the board and not break through.
It took everything within me not to let the cancer knocked me off course. The treatments were sometimes painful, sometimes time consuming, and always annoying. My purpose, the goal of my life, didn’t change just because I was in battle. I had to continue to look toward where I was headed, even to a point past my own health, to the generation of women I have been assigned to reach. The pain certainly tried to be a distraction – and some days it was. But overall I tried really hard not to let my circumstances cause me to lose sight of my own Rome.
The writer of Hebrews challenged us to look away from all that will distract and keep looking to Jesus, who is the leader and source of our faith. Jesus was able to endure the cross, not by dwelling on the nails and the betrayal, but by focusing on the joy before Him. He kept His mind focused on the fact that He would ultimately be sitting at the right hand of the Father – and that once again hurting people could have a loving relationship with their Creator. He focused on the victory, not the challenge.
How about you?
This is an excerpt from Warrior Chicks : Rising Strong, Beautiful and Confident by Holly Wagner. Copyright ©2007 by Holly Wagner. Published by Regal Books, a division of Gospel Light. Used with permission. Holly appears with other Women of Faith this Monday and Tuesday on LIFE TODAY.
