Focus Child Focus!

   I am a recovering chronic multitasker.  It's a slow process I'm afraid.  Multitasking is highly prized by the world and has made me very successful at work.  One of the things that frustrated me so badly about my job was that I never felt I did anything as well as I could.  I could do many things satisfactorily but I never had the feeling of great accomplishment in any one task.  I remember my Mom telling me "if something is worth doing, it's worth doing well."  In the business world where doing more with less is the mantra for success, doing things really well wasn't always possible.

  For the past 7 months, my days have been my own.  I am in control of my time, my tasks and my focus.  But I am just now beginning to be able to slow down and focus on what I feel that God is really calling me to. 

  There are 2 main things that He has lead me to focus on and do well:  1) Pray and spend time in focused study of the Word (Spiritual exercise--physical too) and 2) spend quality time with people.  The first thing comes pretty easy to me.  I love digging into the Word and asking the Spirit to teach me the deeper truths that are there.  Not only to learn it, but to be able to teach others both  verbally and living it out.  

  Number 2 is harder for me because I've always been "too busy" to really spend quality time with an individual. Focused time to really listen to them, to minister to them, to hug them, pray for them and truly love them.  I've always had a job that pulled my attention and focus in many different directions and to be honest, it provided a very good and fully acceptable excuse to not be available for relationships.  This excuse is probably the biggest lie of all because let's be honest, relationships are messy!  Who wants to take on other people's messiness? But that's what Jesus patterned for us.

 In the past few years, a friend of ours told us that BUSY was really an acronym for "Buried Under Satan's Yoke".  I believe it!  We are so busy doing so much that we are very uncomfortable being still, being quiet, sharing lives with others and letting God direct our steps.  Okay, that's a generality (which I find very annoying in books that I read) and doesn't apply to everybody, but I do experience it as prevalent in our culture today.  As a matter-of-fact, I wonder if that's why professional counselors and psychiatry are in bigger demand these days....because there is a big lack of genuine relationship in people's lives? Just a thought.....

  So I'm praying that God help me to love well.  I want to be available for my family, my friends, my neighbors, my Church family, and strangers brought to me by divine appointment. How many opportunities have I missed out on because I was too busy and distracted?  I know I have to be careful here too because the need is great and I can't get absorbed into too much.  I don't want to get out of balance and there will always be someone who doesn't get that focused attention.  And I certainly don't want to turn this into an idol!!!  When it comes to real meaningful relationships, just as in spreading the good news, the need is great but the workers are few.