Tripping Over Typeset

As we climbed out of the van I turned towards my son, “Here, Matt, carry this stuff.”

We were unloading the van and trying to make it all in one trip.  Matthew just had a few small things to carry.

“I can’t carry all that!”

“Yes, you can — carry the small tote on the bottom, lay your Lego plane on top along with your “Play-Doh” vase.  Hold it with both hands and you’ll be fine.”

As we headed across the driveway toward the cobblestone path he adds, “I’m doing it! I’m doing it!”

“Way to go, Matt, that’s awesome! Keep going!”

But then from behind him my hubby sees a dead mouse in the driveway, “Look…. Mags caught another one!”

“Where? Where?”… Matt begins throwing his head back, looking behind and all around for the mouse killed by our kitty.

He drops one wing off his plane….“Where?… Where’s the mouse?”

Trying to look behind he drops his Play-Doh sculpture. He bends down to pick it up but more Lego’s fall to the ground.

In complete frustration Matthew grumbles… “I’m dropping everything!!!”

I gently remind him, “Yes, buddy… but it’s because you’re not focused on what you’re supposed to be doing— Instead you’re looking around.  Focus on your task right now and you’ll get it done!”

Poor guy…

I have been there too.

• Sitting at my desk working away, my eyes glancing outside to my flower beds. “They need weeding….It’s a beautiful day… I’ll just go for an hour.”  Three hours later the bed is halfway weeded and my paperwork is no further ahead.
• Waking in the early hours, the morning is quiet. No one’s awake but me and the pets. “It’s a perfect time to have quiet time.  I’ll just put these dishes away, make coffee, sweep the floor… and then sit to read.”  But by then the family is waking and my quiet time is gone.
• Staring at the keyboard musing over what to write next… “Look at how dirty the space between the keys is… I’ll just get a Q-tip and wipe this all out.” —- {Okay.. so I didn’t clean out the dust with Q-tips but it’s where my mind rabbit-trailed while typing this post.}

RACHEL … FOCUS ON THE TASK RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!

How easily we’re pulled away from our purpose and what we’re called to do.

Sometimes we catch ourselves speaking like Matt, “I can’t carry all this. I can’t do it!”

But God says to us, “Focus on this one thing right in front of you.  Focus on this next step. Not further ahead or what’s behind but right now.  Let’s work on what is for right now.”

• We can become paralyzed with fear of what we think is ahead that it stops us from actually moving ahead.
• We can be so caught up in what happened yesterday that we drop the things of today.

In Proverbs 4:25-26 (MSG) the writer tells us:

“Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step and the road will stretch out smooth before you.”

Keeping our focus on what’s for today gets us through today.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV)

And as much as Matt and I wanted to stop and see another mouse done in for, a bigger life lesson was at work here for Matt, “Let’s bring all this inside first… then go and congratulate Mags on a job well done!”

There’s a life lesson for me as well… When looking behind and all around I’m bound to drop some things. But staying on task and persevering through will bring better things in my day.

Today I’m going to try again…Keep on task…persevere through and not be distracted by the dust in my keyboard, or that nasty mouse in the driveway.

Mags is on the prowl again so we’ll see how well I do.

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Linking up with: #HeartEncouragement