Focus on Jesus

Life often times doesn’t turn out the way I have it planned. It becomes messy, sometimes unglued, with uneven edges…..not the perfect picture in the dream. There are broken dreams, harsh words, and crushed hearts mixed into the mundane of each day.

I see smudges on the windows, crumbs on the counter, dishes in the sink. The to-do list only gets longer, while the days seem shorter. Never enough time. This race I’m in, where the finish line always seems to be out of reach.  Is this what I want? What I long for? My thoughts are muddled.

There are days when I feel like I am almost done, almost to the finish line. That is when I will relax. Then everything will work out. Then it will all be okay. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t. That is just how life is. Sigh.

This whole simplifying I am trying isn’t easy. I am constantly having to rethink about what is important. What is real. What matters. Being intentional is difficult. Anyone that has ever tried to change can understand that.

So, as I am thinking through what leading a more simple life will look like for me, I read Psalm chapter 46, verse 10. “Be still and know that I am God…” Be still. Don’t run around always doing. Relax. Know ME. This particular verse then caused me to think of the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha.

 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:38-42 NLT

Be still. Do not worry about details. Focus on Jesus.