| Proverbs 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.” |
THE HORROR OF NOT STAYING FOCUSED
Is it not interesting how we continually put our focus on the wrong things? More often than we may want to admit, our lives parallel the stereotypical scary movie where the audience screams “look behind you, dummy!” as impending calamity is seen clearly by the audience – yet the character in focus is ignorant of the peril.
We all know people who are very well liked, travel a lot for work and are very successful by the world’s standards. They had a beautiful house for their families, were faithful to their spouse, and provided well for their children including paying for the best education, vacations, and showering them with blessings such as new cars.
From the outside looking in, it seems they did most things right… except clearly, in some cases, something wasn’t right. Despite their best intentions and however well they provided for the physical needs of their families – they consistently were not present. A previous CRO of mine used to say “you must be present to win” referring to the need for us “hunters” to be continually in front of our prospects to move deals forward and win the business. It was a simple yet keenly accurate observation. And it is no less true with our families.
Several years ago, I was unemployed for nearly a year. To say this was a blow to my ego would be an understatement. I generally had been successful and built successful sales teams – and I couldn’t understand why things didn’t work out, or why no one else in the world seemed to want me. During this season of life, my wife and I only had two children. My mother had expressed concerns to me (prior to my job loss) regarding feeling that my oldest, who was maybe 5 years old at the time, and his younger sister didn’t really have a personal relationship with the Lord yet. When I finally got a new opportunity and started working again, she commented to me that my children’s relationship with the Lord had grown by leaps and bounds after I’d been home with them for almost a solid year. She felt certain that God forced me to take a break and slow down to protect the salvation of my household.
Our family’s number one, undisputed priority is the salvation of our household through all generations. Nothing else comes close. Intellectually, we know this to be true. Daily life, though, can distract us from our aim and embroil us in a myriad of meaningless pursuits.
As you get tangled up in living life, don’t make the mistake of forgetting what God told Cain in Genesis 4:7, that “sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Satan continually pursues your children’s hearts and, as a parent, you are the first line of defense. You must be present and awake to protect them. A sleeping or missing guard is worthless.
Do not make the mistake of missing the peril that an audience would be yelling at you to avoid if you were in a movie. Keep your focus on seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. God will take care of the rest.
– Jeff Rance II
