Day 31 – Focus

. . . Magellan demonstrated the fortitude of a life in focus . . . Jesus provides the priorities and perspectives that are essential for a focused life in an overloaded age. – Oz Guinness

Magellan was single-minded. His deep purpose, to find a channel from the Atlantic to the Pacific, permeated his thoughts, his emotions, and his desires. He gave his life to this task, and the sea took it but not until he discovered the straight through the tip of South America that bears his name.

Jesus was even more focused. Before he died, Jesus prayed, “I have glorified you [the father] on earth by completing the work you have given me to do.” His clear call to glorify the father and do his will flowed throughout his human nature. To do so, Christ had to renounce other possibilities, for instance an earthly kingship, and whole-heartedly focus on establishing God’s Kingdom on earth. He gave his life to this task and the religious establishment took it but only for a short time.

How then should we live but to “lay aside every encumbrance and run the race with perseverance?” A clear-minded focus in an age of abundance demands that we eliminate many distractions. The hard part is determining what not to do. The current culture drags our attention to a smorgasbord of possibilities, and due to the distractions, we might never decide to run but will gorge ourselves until we’re too fat to move.