Focal Point

By Mariel Davenport

When I was about 6 years old, I took ballet lessons, like most little girls with big dreams.  I loved the tu-tus, the leotards and the shoes.  It didn’t take long for me to realize there was more to it than that, though.  For one, the spinning was more than I cared to do!  I was soon a ballet drop-out.  But in the few lessons I did attend, one thing stuck with me.  The Lord brought it to mind again this morning in my time with Him.

When a ballerina spins around she is to find a visual focal point to look back at with every spin.  So when you spin around and come back to your original position, your eyes are to fall immediately back on your focal point.  This takes a lot of practice!  Since I was not very successful with it, I was often dizzy and disoriented.  This did not make for a good ballerina or a fun lesson.

This morning as I read Colossians 1:10 “…live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way,” I heard the Lord whisper to my heart, “Refocus on Me.”  He reminded me that living a life worthy of Him and pleasing to Him has less to do with my actions and more to do with my heart-focus.  What is my focal point?

Life is shaky… from the big things like job loss, health issues, marital struggles… to the smaller inconveniences like traffic jams, busyness and annoyances.  But the one unshakable thing is our God!  When life’s turbulence spins our heads around, we must refocus our eyes on Him and find true balance.   He is the only focal point that will keep us from getting dizzy or disoriented in the inevitable trials and pains of life.

I don’t know about you, but that is a truth I need to keep before me.  Life is tough.  Seasons change and trials and storms come without warning.  Where will I keep my gaze fixed?  On the ever changing circumstances?  Or on the One true God who proves through His Word to be the one stability in all the instability of this world.  You and I have no idea what lies in our future, but we can focus on the One who is already there, steadying us with His righteous right hand.  Let’s find our focal point today and keep our eyes on Him!

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About Mariel:

My heart for writing began as a little girl.  Having grown up in a dysfunctional family (who hasn’t?) I found myself as a broken and needy young wife and mother in my early 20s.  The Lord Jesus captured my heart for Himself through His Word and I went from a self-proclaimed athesist to a passionate Jesus pursuer overnight! That was over a decade ago… I have been seeking to intimately know Him and make Him known through my newly published Bible study, “Knowing God Through His Names” and my blog Growing In Godliness. I pray that through all my writing the Lord Jesus is glorified and that others see the hope within me and glorify my Father in heaven.