Fixation

My dog can become fixated on food. If you show her a treat, she won’t take her eyes off of it. She’ll do pretty much anything you ask her to do: come, stay, sit, rollover. However, if she is outside, she gets distracted by rabbits and other animals. She tends to fixate on the closest scent.

I tend to fixate on my immediate problems. I obsess, worry, and sweat over whatever issue I’m dealing with, while ignoring the fact that God is in charge.

“Fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.” (Romans 12:2 MSG)

“Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.” (Hebrews 12:2 MSG)

Both Hebrews 12:2 and Romans 12:2 have the same message. Fixate on God. Don’t let your immediate concerns distract you. Never lose sight of where you are headed. Be willing to put up with suffering, humiliation, whatever.

Oh God, I’m already distracted…I wonder what kind of pain you have planned for me. How long will it last? Is there any other way? I can’t help it. I’m fixated on the suffering. I’ve already lost sight of YOU…

I feel like a kid who is about to get an injection. I’m focused on the needle. I’m wondering how much it will hurt. I can’t think past this pain to the purpose of the vaccine or medicine. Instead I want to be more like a grown woman who is going through labor, willing to go through pain to bring forth life.

Focus on Jesus. Breathe…