Distraction (n.): a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
Hey y'all, hey! We’re two weeks into this 2021 thing and I am still in a reflective mood. I am so grateful to have made it to another year. I am also grateful that yall made it to the new year too!
Last year was full of, well, everything—blessings, breakthrough, anxiety, loss, etc., etc., etc. It was a lot to grapple with and the true definition of a rollercoaster ride. One of the things that I lost over the year was my focus. I had been scatterbrained, distracted by all that went on in the world around me. Let me make a correction, I lost focus on what should have been my main focus. My focus was directed towards distractions more so than my duties and discipline. Looking back now, I recognize that the distractions or misplaced focus created some space between God and me. Created things, rather than the Creator, captured my concentration taking up the space that should have been curated for Him. This created a problem!
I mean what happened to leaning on God and seeking Him as a place of refuge during trouble or adverse situations? What happened to keeping God as the focal point? The only security in life is being connected to Him as one of His children. Though the storm raged, He should have remained my peace and comfort. Though a viral pandemic and racism raged, and are still raging, He should have remained my peace and comfort. He should have had my full attention, despite the distractions that existed around me.
As I write this, God laid on my heart one of my favorite passages of scripture—Matthew 14:28-31— which is when Peter walks on water. What’s so important about this particular passage compared to the related passages in Mark and Luke is it highlights the experience of Peter, the one who saw himself as Jesus’ ride or die and ace boon coon, and his faith. Focus and distractions were two key themes that stood out from Peter’s experience with walking on water. It is important to recognize Peter’s relationship with Jesus and the trust he had in Him before ever stepping on the water. To make a move like that takes trust and faith. Peter trusted and believed in God, fueling his faith-led walk on the water. Initially, all was going well. It wasn’t until he became distracted by the environment around him that everything began to sink, literally. A shift in his focus from Jesus—our anchor, redeemer, and Prince of Peace—to the elements and storm going on occurred. That shift in focus was the turning point in his experience. It emphasizes how our plans can go awry when God is not our main focal point. The passage literally depicts the importance of staying focused on God, despite what’s going on around us or in our lives. When our focus shifts away from God our faith, in addition to our plans, suffers. Peter’s focus on the waves and wind distracted him from the true anchor, the one that keeps us grounded. The problems around him became bigger than God inducing fear and depleting his faith. As we know, faith and fear cannot coexist. In times of trouble, we must keep our focus on God. What we choose to focus on will drive either our faith or our fear. Peter no longer had the full faith that he could walk on water because he saw the environmental distractions as threats to his life and his ability to continue his walk towards Jesus. We cannot miss that he was walking towards Jesus and the distractions came and knocked him off course. Since his focus was no longer on God and fixed on the world, he began to sink and became fearful. BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL! One of the most beautiful things about this passage is when Peter recognized his misplaced focus and its consequence he called out to Jesus for help…AND JESUS REACHED OUT AND GRABBED HIM!
This is exactly where I was last year, especially in the final quarter. When I realized that I had begun sinking I called out to Jesus. My focus had definitely been misplaced. Although I had faith, my eyes had shifted away from God and became fixed on all that was going on. There comes a point when we have to be honest with ourselves. One of mine occurred last year. If I am honest with myself, and my folk, the things that went on in my life became bigger than God. World events became bigger than God. Deviating my focus from God to the things of the world and my environment caused feelings of doubt, anxiety, overwhelm, fear, and defeat. BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL! I had to lay those things down at the altar and get refocused and realigned with Him. I had to cry out to the Lord for His help. Thankfully, He heard and saw me. He grabbed me and covered me, not only with His love but His grace and mercy too.
Losing focus on God and turning it towards distractions will cause us to sink. Distractions are there to kill whatever it is He’s placed in us to fulfill our destinies. Had Peter not called for Jesus to save him, he could have drowned. Guess what else would have died with him? All of the wonderful and miraculous things he did in Jesus’ name, including his assistance in erecting the early church, would have passed away with him. It is so vital to our walk with God and our assignment or destiny that we remain focused on Him, regardless of what’s going on in the world. When you notice yourself becoming distracted or that you have been distracted, do like Peter and call out to the Lord for help. Never hesitate to come back to Him. He is faithful and will help you get back on track.
I pray that we remain free of distractions and focus on the right things as we continue into the unchartered waters of 2021.
Peace & Love
Kommentare