Focus

A very rare yet very important value is missing in the lives of many people in the world we live in today.  Focus is pivotal for the achievement of our goals in the time-scale we have set for them.  Everyone has a plan for their lives, and often it is quite precise and we have evidence in people’s speech: “I want my own car before I reach 30 years”, “I want to marry at 25”, and “I want to finish reading this book by next week”.  Amongst many other things, focus will play a very big role in the achievement of the goal that has been set.  Take a cheetah for example, although it boasts the title of the ‘fastest animal on earth’, it also has a disadvantage; because of its high speed it’s body temperature rises quickly, hence it has the pressure to catch its prey before it overheats and dies.  This then means that a cheetah has to focus on its prey until it reaches it, any mistake of miscalculation can result in hunger or fatal death.  Before the cheetah chases the prey, it has to identify the weakest in the pack, move slowly so as to not be noticed by its prey and then chase after its target.  Focus or the lack thereof, will reveal the probability of us reaching our God given dreams.

A couple of years ago I went hiking with some friends.  We were told that the nature reserve that we were at had a lot of some of the most beautiful birds in South Africa and that we would see a lot of them as we hike.  Now as we were walking around this bush along very narrow footpaths, my mind was preoccupied with seeing all these beautiful birds that I had heard about. I was looking around in the trees hoping to see some of them.  I noticed that whenever I looked around, I lost my path and had to bring myself back to the narrow footpath.  This kept happening for quite a while until I heard a distinct voice that I often get and it said: “never let the things on the side make you loose your way, no matter how beautiful and enjoyable they are”.   Now this hit me hard and at that very moment I knew that it was God rebuking me and reminding me to come back to the straight and narrow.  He was teaching me something that I lacked and was paramount for me to know and possess for all the things that he has in store for me.  We must stay on the straight and narrow if we are to reach all the things that God has promised us.

 It is probably one of the most difficult things because of all the enticing things that happen around us all the time.  In our quest to live lives of focus so as to reach our dreams and goals, we come against distracting things like the prosperity of our peers.  We feel like we are left behind in regards to success and we try to get it quickly so that we can keep up.  I know what this is, because there are certain unspoken laws in our society.  For instance, there is a certain age at which the society expects everyone to have achieved certain things.  Now, because we are aware of these laws, we try our best with our own strength to make up for this.  I know of a man in the Bible called Asaph.  He wrote Psalm 73, when he was grappling with focusing on God and also accumulating assets/possessions to live up to the standard set by the society of his day. To bring us to the point that we are discussing, in the second verse where he says:  “But as for me I almost lost my footing, my feet were slipping and I was almost gone” He then says something that blows my mind towards the end of the Psalm:  “Yet I still belong to you, you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you?  I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart, he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.  But as for me, how good it is to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and will tell every one of the wonderful things you do.” 

I reckon he has summed it up; there is nothing else for me to say.  I just love the part where he says that God will guide him with his counsel and will lead him to a glorious destiny.  When I read it, I thought that if I was going to ignore my guide and take my own ways, I must forget about the “glorious destiny” that I dream about. 

“Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” NLT (Mat 6:33)

God bless you all, Sello “Scalo” Mmane!!!!