Focus

I(Mike) just returned from driving across the country with my cousin where we spent a week chasing elk with our bows. We packed in all the food we ate and all the gear we needed on our backs. We covered a lot of hard miles, all by foot. The nights were cold, and a few of the days were rainy. By the end, we were as beat tired as we’ve ever been and had pretty bad chest colds. Driving us was the hope of getting a change to fill our tags. That wasn’t all that pushed me. I had to go and see if I had what it takes. Before the trip, some folks I talked with thought we must crazy, others understood what we were doing and why. What do you guys think?

During the hunt, I was a bit surprised by how focused I was able to stay. In the midst of the discomfort and exhaustion, all I could do was focus on the essentials: must get water, have to keep hiking, gotta go up over that mountain, don’t give up. Most everything else faded away in light of that which was more pressing. Being that focused is a blessing in hard times like that. Most of the time, I’m not nearly that on track. When I ask myself, “How focused are you in your Christian walk?” I’m usually a bit saddened.

More often than I care to admit, I let my priorities cloud the vision God has for my life. I want to go here, do this, spend my time there… How can I enjoy His perfect plan, when I’m always buggering it up with my own plan??? I don’t have to work harder, I need to remember His promises, and in faith surrender my will. It’s also not about feeling guilty. It’s about focusing on truth, and choosing the better. God promises many more, and far greater blessings when we obey Him. When I find myself doing what I want, it’s either because I don’t believe God, or because I don’t care. Both pretty well stink.

Paul reminds us all through Galatians 5 of the great rewards of living freely for Christ. When I choose to obey Christ, when I surrender my will and walk in His Spirit, life rocks! I’ve found that for me to stay focused, like during the hunt, I need to remind myself of the basics. God’s ways are better, more fulfilling, more blessed than my ways. If I choose His way, even when I can’t understand it from my view, I will have more joy and life.

Would you choose with me to surrender to His Spirit, and enjoy His abundant blessings??

PS, I got my bull. It was worth it. I had what it took, because God gave it to me.