Focus part 5
To end this Rant series I want to flip the script a little bit. We've been talking about what WE need to focus on--our goals, the path we want to walk... love--but look at Ephesians 1:4 in the Message Bible. It tells us what GOD is focused on: "Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love." WE are God's focus. I always say there's really only two important things in this universe--God and people. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. Psalm 8:4 asks, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" God is mindful of man. God's mind is full... of us. We are always on His mind. When He talks about knowing the thoughts that He thinks toward us, thoughts of peace and not evil to bring us an expected end, that's not by accident. That's because He is focused on us. Focused on love. His love for us. Psalm 17:8 says, "Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings." And Deuteronomy 32:10 tells us that, "He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, and kept him as the apple of his eye." Which is to say that we are God's special creation. We were created so that the God who is love could express Himself to us. And in us. And through us. And as us. God's mind is full of man. We are the apple of His eye. We are the point of the whole thing. And I don't say all this to puff us up or give us a big head. I don't say all this so we'll get full of ourselves. I say all this so that we can understand. If God's focus is on us... our focus can be one to each other. Not being self-centered, but being Christ-centered. Which means being people-centered. I'm not saying I should focus on me. And, listen, sometimes we do need to exercise a bit of self-care. That's important. But at the same time, if I take care of you and you take care of me, then neither one of us has to worry about ourselves. My point is: Its all about people. Relationship. Connection. God and people. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. That HAS to be our focus if we want to experience this abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life that we've been given. If you're focused on yourself you're going to miss out on so much of what's available. Because love isn't about getting. Its not about what you can do for you. Love is giving. Giving what you've got--who you are--to the people that you come into contact with. Giving everything you have and everything you are without worrying about how it will be received. Without worrying about what you'll get back. Just giving because you have something to give. Something worth giving. Giving because your focus is the same as your heavenly Father's focus. Giving because people are special to you. Important to you. So walk in love, but never forget what that means. Love can't exist in a vaccuum. There has to be someone loving, and someone being loved. It takes two to tango. Keep your focus right and things will always turn out the way they're supposed to!