Focus
After studying a lesson on Focus in my ladies Bible study group, I just had to justify myself!
Before you start to read, I need to admit that I have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (AADD). It doesn’t seem that I was born with it. As I advanced in years and number of children, I learned a trick that brought this malady into existence. The trick? Make a list of several of the things that need to be done that day, then, start several of the tasks but don’t finish them. For instance, if I need to bake, I get out the bowl, mixer, and even measure some of the ingredients. Then I stop. It is too much work to put it away so eventually it will fit into the day. In addition, if one of the girls might see the project started and may well do it for you!
The same is true of changing the bed. Strip the bed, put the sheets in the laundry then stop. Go do something else because after all, the bed will get made before you tiredly climb into it. I didn’t used to be that way. My concentration level is exceptionally high. Focus is too much of a problem! I’d take all day to clean the bathroom!
One area in which the incomplete task method does not work is my daily quiet time. It sure does not work for a meaningful prayer time. I do pray throughout the day but without a focused time to pray, it just doesn’t get done. God deserves our undivided attention when it comes to a time of personal adoration and praise. It should be at the top of the list.
Satan does not care about my cleaning, cooking, or shopping skills. Satan does care if I am organized and focused on my time spent focused with my Lord. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. . .” so maybe if he were giving advice today he may well tell me to work in whatever method works best for me. You think?
- Posted in: Everyday Thinking
- Tagged: Bible study, Ecclesiastes 9:10, focus, prayer time, work
The Shepherd's Presence 
Oh, dear!!! I have never intentionally left a task unfinished, but I’m afraid that I also suffer from that AADD malady! My house is such a wreck most of the time that I pick up something to take it to the room where it belongs, then I find something in that room that needs attention, and so on till the day is gone and my energy is exhausted, and the house is in a worse mess than when I started!!! I’m not sure there’s a cure for that, but it surely would be good to have a straight apartment for a change!
I do my devotions first thing in the morning, usually on the computer. You might have noticed that I share some Scripture each morning on my Facebook page. That sharing is done with much prayer for God to guide me to whatever my FB friends need to know on a particular day. As you might imagine, I get varying responses from people, but I also know that many folks never click “like” or make any comments. When I see those folks in person, that’s when they tell me that a particular post was meaningful to them. My praying is done throughout the day, whenever I find some quiet, uninterrupted moments to just talk to my Heavenly Father on behalf of His children who have let me know about their needs. Yes, Satan loves to distract us, but we just HAVE to keep on keeping on! Thank you for this timely reminder!
Pray without ceasing” is my way out–I figure if I’m just praying all day, especially as I clean the bathroom, do the laundry, etc.–I’ll be in a much better frame of mind, anyway. The less I enjoy the chore, the more the need to pray.
How’s that for a rationalization 🙂