Where's Your Focus?

     Each morning when you rise from bed, you make a decision about what is going to be your focus for the day. You may do this intentionally, or as I presume the majority of people will get up and their focus is basically created for them just by the sheer magnitude of their thoughts. What we think on becomes our focus, and what we focus on, becomes what we put our efforts into, and what we place our effort into becomes who we are and it also becomes our mark on the world in which we live. Why do people wake up with a dread of the day? My guess and the "focus" of today's Flat Tire Ministries Thought is that they have their minds set on the wrong priorities and for them life has no joy nor fulfillment. This morning you may be the very person this blog is intended for and you don't even realize it. You may be so caught up in the race to buy happiness that you have lost sight on what really matters, but hopefully today's message will help all of us to stop, reflect, and recreate our focus on what truly matters.
     Let's get right to the crux of the matter. In Matthew 16:26 Jesus poses this question, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" I believe what Jesus was asking His disciples was where is your focus? What motivates you to get up and get out of bed each morning? What drives you to go to work and give it all you got on the job? At the end of the day what measuring stick do you use to validate the results of your efforts for the day? If everything we do is connected to the material world then we will always go away from the day with a lack of fulfillment. If what drives us to be successful is related to a banking account number or a title that we have been given then we will always be in want of more or another title to achieve. Enough will never be enough, and the sad part is those that are closest to you, the ones that you have the chance to make the biggest impact on will not garner the true benefit of what you have to offer them. Your lack of focus on the right stuff, creates a void in the lives of those you are intended to impact with your focus. So what do you gain if you get all the toys, but you lose the very thing that can't be bought in the process? I Timothy 6:7 says it best, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." I think that pretty much sums it up if your focus is on the things in life that are temporary, but hold on there is hope!
     If your drive in life is directly connected to what you have instead of what you have to give, it is time to stop and redirect your focus on what really matters. I am in no way suggesting that we shouldn't be striving to provide for our families and those that count on us to do our jobs and bring home the means by which we live, yet I am saying that when that drive becomes our focus we may lose sight of what really matters and what will leave a lasting impact on those we come in contact with on a daily basis or that once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. I guess what I  am really saying is we need to stop focusing on what we don't have and what we want to have, and start focusing on what we have and what we have to give to others. Here I'm not speaking to material gifts or financial donations, I'm talking about what you have to offer in the way of hope, inspiration, time, and love.
      A simple act of kindness goes a long way, a smile and a word of encouragement make a difference, and a helping hand that lifts someone up can change someone's life. We have so much, too much in most cases and we put all of our efforts into getting more. What if we put at least a small portion of that effort into giving someone else a strand of hope? What if we gave our children our time instead of a new electronic device? What if instead of trying to win the rat race, we stopped to help someone less fortunate than ourselves to finish the race? What if each morning when we got out of bed we took a moment to realize what a gift today is and how thankful we should be that we can even get out of bed, walk to the shower, go to the refrigerator for food or drink, and then make our way out to our car which will in turn take us to the job that provides us all that we need and more? And what if we extended that thought for just one more minute to think about how blessed we are to have just one more day to make a difference in this world. One more chance to make a difference in your coworker's life, a family member's outlook on their world, or maybe if you are as lucky as I am to be an educator you might stop and think about the chance you have today to change the world through the lens of a student's mind. Wow, the potential outcomes are endless, the only barrier to what you can achieve with a positive mindset focus is you.
     When you wake up in the morning instead of thinking about what you don't have or what you have to go do today, stop I mean literally stop and recreate what you will focus on today. When you want to complain about your job, family, life, or whatever it is that you are prone to complain about, stop and put things in perspective. Change your focus from a "me" centered life, to a life that has given you the opportunity to make a difference in a life, maybe a ton of lives, maybe the world! God doesn't make mistakes and He made you so remember that the next time you want to have a pity party about how bad your life is. Get up, get out, and go make a difference in your world you live in today! Once you place your focus on what really matters you will see the world you live in change for the better!
Coach Carter