Day 2364 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.


Psalm 70:4 NIV

Our lives are a product of what we focus on, what we pay attention to, what we allow to get to us. But so much of the time the things we focus on are the temporary problems we face or the sudden upheavals around us. So it's really no wonder that it seems like so many people are just miserable anymore. There's a whole lot of negativity around us and when that's all that we focus on then we're allowing ourselves to be filled up with that junk. And only seeing the bad in life will weigh us down and drag us into a place that we don't want to be.

As I shared yesterday, I've been there. I'm still there. But I'm working on it. It's all too easy to start veering off in the wrong direction. After all, we're surrounded by plenty of nonsense that is just waiting for us to let it in so that it can start bringing us down. With all of this technology surrounding us today we have an endless stream of news and updates right at our finger tips. We're all more connected to this world and one another than we've ever been in history. And while that's good in many ways, it can also be pretty dangerous. Constantly seeing the headlines, reading all the vile comments, seeing all the hatred, and watching the downfall is bound to leave an impact.

But again, we have a choice. We have other options. We have the opportunity to choose the things that bring us hope and lift our spirits. We have the ability to focus on the good in life rather than all the bad. It all comes down to us. Speaking from personal experience, focusing on this world and the foolishness around us will only lead us to being miserable. It will suck the joy out of our lives and leave us thinking that there's nothing good, nothing decent, nothing that offers us hope or joy. When we set our eyes on seeing the worst in life then that's exactly what we're going to see. But it doesn't have to be that way.

There is a joy found in our Father that is truly unlike anything else. He brings us this peace of knowing that He is in control and that His plans for us will be more amazing than we can imagine. He offers us this hope of better things ahead because He has shown Himself to be faithful over and over again. He teaches us how to be happy right where He has us, not because it's perfect in our eyes, but because we know that we can trust in His plans and purposes. That's why we need to focus on Him more than anything else. He is the only one that can lead us to the hope, joy, and peace that we're all looking for in life.

Friends, life will never be perfect. This world definitely isn't gonna get its act together and start living right all of the sudden. But we don't have to live at the mercy of a broken world. We don't have to be distracted by all the junk around us. And we definitely don't have to let this place bring us down. We have a far better option that we can choose. We can choose to focus on God's promises instead of our temporary circumstances. We can focus on His plans rather than our doubts. We can keep our eyes fixed on Him and refuse to let this world or anything we face in it distract us and pull us away from Him.

I know that it's not easy when we're surrounded by so much bad anymore. But that just makes it even more important. We have to fix our eyes on Him now more than ever before. He is good and His plans and promises are better than anything we could imagine. Please don't let this world convince you otherwise. Don't allow the temporary things you're going through to make you think that life is all bad. It isn't. And what's even more amazing is that what comes next is even better! So we can't get lost or pulled away from Him while we're here. Something better is always right around the corner. Cling to that and don't let anything take that hope away from you!

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