wrap-up: term 4 week 1

Hello people!

If you've been coming down you'll know that in the past week we've been talking about Focus, or where we fix our eyes upon (what constantly occupies your attention or what drives you; the first thing you find yourself thinking about every morning, perhaps). To put it briefly, you heard about: 1. Not focussing on what we aren't supposed to focus on (earthly treasures, man/people/self, etc.) and 2. Focussing on, of course, God. Well these are all things we all pretty much know (though still need to be constantly reminded of). But to wrap up I thought I'd talk about the link between these two points.

Think of the lyrics of the hymn: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus/ Look full in His wonderful face,/ And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,/ In the light of His glory and grace." What struck me was that it's a cause-effect relationship: only when we turn our eyes upon the Lord and focus on Him, then everything else we've ever desired will pale ridiculously in comparison! I think that often we overdo the not-focussing-on-ungodly-things part, berating ourselves for being worldly, trying desperately to control our thoughts and desires, and in the process fail to simply abide in the Lord (1 John 2:28) and be with Him. And when that happens, we often end up miserable and exhausted, wondering what went wrong. So dear friend, if you find that you're wrestling to let go of worldly things, or not to place so much worth in things you know you shouldn't, don't simply struggle to suppress it; allow God, a powerful, supernatural and loving God, to overwhelm it! The things of the world don't fade simply because we try and shut our eyes our purify our own thoughts; they disappear when we experience God more and more.

Another thing is that too often there is this mistaken underlying feeling or notion that choosing to focus and place our worth in God is the less enjoyable thing, a "sacrifice" that we dutifully make only because we are good and obedient. Yet quite the opposite is true:

"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

- C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory.

I'll just end off with Hebrews 12:1-2:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Have a blessed long weekend ahead :)