Focus...Focus...Focus

Definition of focus

1a: a center of activity, attraction, or attention, a point of concentration 2: directed attention: emphasis

3: a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding

Focusing plays an important part in our daily lives. For instance what do you see in the picture? A tree?....grass?....leaves?.....how many of you took time to see the squirrel?... or did you think it was some trash in the photo?...As for me I saw the squirrel first, then the grass, the tree, and finally the dead leaves. I chose to focus on the things that were not readily obvious in the picture, then I checked out all the rest of it.

I never realized how much this simple word affects our lives until the other day when I was working on a project I'm crocheting out of thread. It's not really a complicated pattern but if you make a mistake you don't catch it until the next round and then there is a lot of undoing stitches to correct the mistake. This is time consuming to say the least and frustrating also. After undoing my work several times I finally realized that I was becoming lax in my counting because I was used to the pattern and thus I made errors that would come back to haunt me later. In this case I was focusing on several things and not on what I was doing. However, the minute I got back around to my mistake I was completely focused on it! If you ever have crocheted, knitted, or sewn something you know just what I'm talking about!!! You might be able to correct the problem by adjusting the stitches or patching the mistake but you know that if you do you will be bothered by it forever.....no one else may see you mistake but YOU will know right where it is and it will stick out like a sore thumb!! Thus the reworking. In this case staying focused on the project at hand is important and remembering the mistakes you made is helpful to prevent them from happening again.

Sometimes though I find myself becoming obsessed with the mistakes I make rather than the beautiful work I am creating. This is when I have to tell myself...."Bernice, you are not perfect and it's ok to make mistakes, humans make mistakes.....that's how you learn....just do better next time and continue to do your best."

I think that this applies in life too. We all make mistakes. We all do things we wish we had done differently. But our mistakes do not define us! They are not who we are as a person. People unlike inanimate things change. People grow not only physically but mentally and spiritually too. If we all just focus on the mistakes we made we don't see all the good things we did. If we focus only on our past we never get the chance to see our future. The past is done and over...it is something we can no longer do anything about.....and our future is something we know nothing about. What we can do is focus on the present and make each and every day something worth remembering. People have a tendency to judge other people by their past mistakes rather than by their present actions. I know I have been guilty a time or two of this very same thing but I have learned that it's not for me to judge anyone.

Everyone deserves a second chance in life and happiness even when we feel they don't deserve it. This is definitely not an easy thing to do.... but then Jesus said that following His example wasn't going to be a walk in the park. It's not easy to give someone a second chance and really get to know them.... sometimes it's downright scary. But nevertheless it's something we have to at least be willing to try to do. I'm not saying that you forget past mistakes... past mistakes are lessons learned. I'm just saying you have to focus on the present closer than you focus on the past otherwise you never make any progress in life. You're stuck in the past and that my friend can be a miserable and scary place to be.

Instead live each day with your eyes and mind open to change and understanding of other people. Don't let first impressions or past incidents cloud the image. God made us in his own image and that is what we should focus on when we find ourselves judging others. Take time to know someone before you decide if they are good or bad. Who knows you might change their lives in the process. Things are possessions ......they can be replaced......people are gifts from God that can never be owned......only shared.

Love with an open mind and heart. Love does not demand respect....it does not make conditions on others.....it does not put up walls and barriers to keep people in or out....love is understanding....love is willing to let go.....love is giving second chances.....love is being there no matter what happens.....love is letting those we cherish most make their own mistakes....love is supporting decisions that are not in agreement with yours.....love is unconditional.

Following Jesus (or your higher power) is not an easy task.....but the rewards are so worth it! God bless each and every one of you, until next time.