Focus

I was traveling today and that gave me a few experiences to write about here. But, tonight I want to start with the over-arching theme. I apologize in advance for the quality of this writing. I am sitting in a hotel without my usual resources - all I have is the Internet and the King James version of the Bible from The Gideons . . . .



In any event, over the course of my travels today, I found myself getting pretty frustrated. I was early to the airport, but just missed the earlier flight, so I had to wait for an hour. Then I was pretty much one of the last people to board, so my carry-on bag had to be checked. When we landed the gate was occupied by a plane having mechanical problems so we had to sit on the runway for twenty minutes. It felt like one of the wheels was going to fall off of the cab so we stopped on the side of the highway to see if there was a flat (there wasn't, must be something else wrong). I was not particularly happy when I got the hotel, and I still had to have dinner with a bunch of clients tonight, so I knew I had to find a way to get it back together.



When I opened the door to my room, I was amazed. It is one of the upper-end hotel chains, so I expected nice, but I have a pretty large suite. Things in the room seem very calm and relaxing. My mood started to change.



I was reflecting on this and made the obvious Biblical analogy. Sometimes we focus too much on the annoyances (me perhaps more than most) and not enough on the destination. I lose track of the fact that the life as I know it right now is temporary and is just a second compared to the eternity that I look forward to in Heaven.

"At the end of the seven years, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked to heaven. I was given my mind back and I blessed the High God, thanking and glorifying God, who lives forever: His sovereign rule lasts and lasts, his kingdom never declines and falls. Life on this earth doesn't add up to much, but God's heavenly army keeps everything going. No one can interrupt his work, no one can call his rule into question." Daniel 4:34-35 (The Message)

I like this version because it reminds me that "Life on this earth doesn't add up to much." Regardless of what is happening here, "his kingdom never declines and falls." Sometimes I just need a reminder to keep my focus in the right place.