Philippians - Embracing Joy by Mark BattersonSample

Focus, sometimes it’s a hard thing to do. It’s so easy to get distracted by people and circumstances in our daily lives—family problems, your job, the news, illness. Without realizing it, you can find yourself focusing on the wrong thing. When we focus on the wrong things, fear and anxiety can overwhelm us and we can miss God’s best for our lives.   

Several decades ago, a psychologist named Vicki Medvec did a fascinating study involving Olympic Medalists. Medvec discovered that Bronze medalists were quantifiably happier than Silver medalists, which makes no sense because the silver medalists beat the bronze medalists! Here’s the catch. Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold so they weren’t satisfied with silver. Bronze medalists tended to focus on how close they came to not winning a medal, so they were just happy to be on the medal stand at all. 

Here’s the bottom line: Your focus determines your reality. What we focus on impacts our outlook, attitude, and reality. God calls us to keep our eyes, hearts, and attention on what honors Him. When we do this, we learn to navigate conflict humbly, rejoice even in hard times, pray in times of anxiety, and walk in God’s grace through all of our days.

A few years ago, researchers did a study with college students that posed two questions. One, how happy are you? Two, how many dates have you had in the last month? The researchers found a weak correlation between the level of happiness and number of dates. Then the researchers flipped the questions. One, how many dates have you had in the last month? Two, how happy are you?  

All of sudden, there was a strong correlation between the number of dates the students had been on and their level of happiness! What happened? By getting those students to focus on their dating status first and foremost, or lack thereof, researchers were able to alter their entire outlook on life. It’s called the focusing illusion, and it’s a cognitive bias whereby humans tend to rely too much on the first piece of information presented to them. It’s why we judge a book by its cover. It’s why first impressions are so powerful. 

Here’s the bottom line: your feelings are not determined by your objective circumstances. Your feelings are a function of subjective focus. One of the best ways to fix your focus is to fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. That’s what worship does, right? Whatever you don’t turn into praise turns into pride. Whatever you don’t turn into praise turns into pain. 

In all circumstances and in all things look to Jesus. Let Him be your focus, not the things and the people in your life. That’s not to say ignore people. Make Jesus the absolute center of your life. Spend time with Him, read God’s Word and spend time in prayer. You will experience the peace that comes from knowing Jesus. When you focus on Jesus, everyone and everything will be aligned with His plan and His purpose for your life. 

Respond

Describe a time when you realized your focus was on the wrong thing. 

Did you turn to the Lord for help? Why or why not? What was the outcome?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may I always keep my eyes firmly fixed on You.