What do you focus on when life seems to spin out of control?

I remember the first time I went on a ropes course. I’m not a fan of heights, so the prospect of walking around on a thin rope or beam 30 feet in the air didn’t sit well with me. The advice I was given was to focus on where I was going rather than how high in the air I was.

What we focus on in life makes a big difference in how we perceive life and how we handle what happens in our life. On the ropes course, focusing on where I was going didn’t change what I was doing. I was still walking 30 feet in the air. I was just focusing on my goal rather than the height.

Life Can Get Dizzyingly Chaotic
Sometimes our lives can feel like it is spinning out of control. Maybe we lose a job, someone close to us dies, a pandemic hits, or we feel like our country is hanging in the balance. What we focus on when these things happen will drastically change how we feel about them and how we handle them.

• The Problem – Sometimes we focus on the problem. This, however, often leads to worry, despair, and rash decisions.
• A Worldly Savior – Other times we may focus on something of this world to save us. It could be a vaccine, a political figure, a spouse, our own intellect or abilities, money, or something else. Ultimately, though, these all fail.  At best they are temporary solutions, but often they can’t even come close to solving the problem, even for a short time.
• Jesus – We have another option. We can focus on the true savior. He is greater than our problems and He is eternal.

The Hand In The Storm
One night, the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. Jesus came walking by on the water. Once the disciples realized it was Jesus, Peter asked to be able to walk over to Jesus on the water…