How would you describe your life? Focused, calm, in control? Or is it more like overwhelmed, chaotic, and distracted?
At the beginning of every year I pick one word that I hope will characterize the next twelve months. In January of 2015 I chose the word “focus.” The previous two years seemed like a whirlwind of activity with little direction. My schedule had grown into a large unfocused mess. I taught private piano students and sat down at my computer to blog and write. I volunteered at a homeless shelter and directed my church choir. I attended a Toastmasters group and led a women’s Bible study. I felt overwhelmed and distracted.
The path of my life had grown from a single road heading in one direction, to a highway with many appealing exits and detours. God whispered, “Keep your eyes on Me.” But too often I succumbed to the enticing signs that lured me from Christ’s path for my life. It wasn’t that I followed roads to immorality. But I kept following signs that promised greater success or a bigger life purpose. And too often these signs pointed to paths not meant for me. These paths led away from peace, serenity, and intimacy with God and toward greater frustration.
Time for a Change
So at the beginning of 2015 I wanted a change. I began praying for focus. For direction. For wisdom to discern between the important and the trivial.
Little did I know that just around the corner was an event that would change everything.
My husband was diagnosed with lymphoma.
Just a few days into 2015 our family physician called John with the news. Our calendars began to fill with doctor appointments and medical tests. Hospitals and cancer centers became our destinations.
I discovered that a life-crisis can quickly put things into perspective. Suddenly I had no difficulty in abandoning activities I no longer found fulfilling. I had a good excuse to leave organizations that had become life-draining instead of life-giving.
Although my life path was headed in a direction I never expected, I found it much easier to ignore the tempting exits not meant for me. Suddenly life had focus.
The Focused Path
I thought about my life path when I read this well-known passage in Matthew:
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)
Of course, this passage is talking about the road to salvation. Jesus told us He is the only Way to eternal life. Through parables, He explained that He is the gate.
But perhaps this verse can also be a picture of a meaningful life here on earth. Maybe a broad road filled with too many roadside stops and littered with too many belongings leads to the destruction of peace and tranquility. Perhaps a narrow road pointed in the right direction with few exits or detours leads to a full and abundant life.
Living Life Distracted
In this modern world, it’s easy to live distracted. In fact, it’s difficult not to be sidetracked by the myriad of things clamoring for our attention. Societal pressures to have more, do more, be more divert us from the life God meant for us to live. Media convinces us we need one more gadget. Pressure to be successful leads us to take on one more responsibility at work. The burden to leave a legacy compels us to say yes to one more worthy cause.
And yet with all this doing and having, we still feel unfulfilled. In the quest to have it all, we wonder if we have missed something important. We sense that we have been spending too much time and effort on the trivial and not enough on what really matters.
Thankfully, you don’t have to go through a life emergency to change the road you are traveling. I created a book so you don’t have to wait for a crisis—you can learn from mine.
So How Can I Live Life Focused?
In my book, Distracted: Finding Faith-Focus Habits for a Frenzied World, you will discover sixteen habits of living with focus. These are the very habits that helped me discard distracting activities from my calendar when my husband was going through cancer treatment. They are the habits I have continued to use to create a life that is meaningful and life-affirming. These routines enable me to avoid disappointing detours and remain on the path God has laid out for me.
You can keep living the distracted life. Racing through life following every disappointing detour. Rushing through a thousand activities without enjoying any.
You could wait for a life crisis to change your course.
Or you could ask God to transform your path. You could delve into sixteen life-altering habits that will help you stay in the narrow path leading to a full and meaningful life.
God is calling you to the road that leads to life. A full, focused life.
Next step: Start this journey to more focused living by closing your eyes and imagining you are driving down the road of life. Ask yourself, “Where is this road headed? Is this where I want to go?” Then in your mind’s eye, look at the signs along the road. What do the signs say? Which ones are the most distracting? Which ones pull you off your main road? Open your eyes and record your thoughts.
This post is an excerpt from my book Distracted: Finding Faith-Focus Habits for a Frenzied World. If you would like to learn more about avoiding distractions and living a focused life, check out the book Distracted: Finding Faith-Focus Habits for a Frenzied World on Amazon.
The ebook is only $3.99!
Inside you will find 16 Faith-Focus Habits that will help you:
- find focus by connecting to God
- truly pay attention to what is essential
- prioritize your day
- find focus in your work
- make important choices
- defeat the distractions of technology
- find rest in our hectic world