Lost Focus

There was a girl who loved her life.
She loved her family.
She loved her friends.
She loved everything about where she was heading.
She had always figured she was blessed, and she kind of expected that something bad would happen soon...
That's how it works right?
Life is a roller coaster, isn't it?
Something good, something bad, up, down, the pattern goes on.
So she waited, and she waited, and she waited.
Slowly things started to get worse, but her situation was still the same.
She still had the best family.
She still had the greatest friends.
She still thought she loved where her life was heading.
So what changed?
Nothing.
Nothing really changed, except for her.

She was so consumed in all the things that could happen, that she lost sight of what was actually happening. She let her thoughts take away her joy, because they weren't focused in the right place. She lost her joy, because she lost her focus... I lost my joy, because I lost my focus. 

So all this to say:


Focus on Jesus.

Yes things can go wrong and out of control, and honestly they probably will. But keeping your eyes on the God of it all is what will allow you to keep your joy. Don't lose your joy because your priorities aren't straight. There is a season for mourning and sadness and grief, but in the big scheme of things, we have a God who loves us, cares for us, and has blessed us in more ways than we can fathom. If that is the truth that our thoughts are aligned with, then nothing else can steal our joy. Joy is a blessing, don't let the enemy take that away from you.


This is a really hard thing for me to write about actually. Because I totally know and believe this to be true, but I'm constantly aware of all the bad things going on and I always analyze all the things that could go wrong. I like to think I'm an optimist, but pessimism typically is where my overthinking gets me.

But these last couple weeks I've been so convicted. What happened to my joy? Why did I let it get taken away from me? Then I read this verse.

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Do I belong to Christ? Yes, which means that his will for my life is to be joyful, to never stop praying, and to be thankful in all circumstances. And maybe joy comes when you do those two other things mentioned... Never stop praying= becoming joyful.
Being thankful and finding the blessings in all circumstances= becoming joyful.

Be intentional about prioritizing your thoughts on Christ, and naturally joy will follow.

"Human history... The long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." -C.S. Lewis