Focus and the Inner-Life

Focus. Laser-beam, deeply centered, all encompassing focus is an incredible feat. I live in a world that screams for attention, smacks of distraction, salivates for confusion. It seems the call of the gods of the air is to come away and not be focused. And yet,

In every area of my life I am hungry for and in need of focus. To be present with my wife and sons, to be attentive to my work, to even be focused on my fun would be such a change. I am doing the one and thinking of the other continually. While I am going through the motions of the first thing I am busy planning the steps of the second, third, or fourth thing. So unfocused.

Especially I am learning, and desiring to learn to be focused on the Center of the Universe, the One who created me for Him, the only true object of focus. I am trying to take time, quietly, to sit in His presence, to hear Him speak, to sense His will, to be focused on His desires. And I am terrible at it. When I am quiet my mind races with my own thoughts. When I am active for him, reading, verbal prayer, my mind drifts to the daily to do list, the unfinished tasks from yesterday, even the score of the last tennis match. It seems the harder I try to be focused the worse I am at it.

So, where do I go? How do I focus? What steps must I put in place?
Here are some:
1. Study a life of focus. I am reading David Benner, Brennan Manning, Richard Foster, men who seem to know how to be focused on Him. Surely they can teach me more about focused, centered living.
2. Just do it. I am trying the Nike approach to being centered. I am at least making space for it in my life, waiting, meditating, thinking. I am going to just give myself a chance to be focused.
3. Relax. The harder I try…. Perhaps I can learn to just relax in Him and allow Him to bring focus to my very unfocused world. I am after all, deeply in love with Christ, I believe that to be true. He is certainly focused on me if I am not on Him. He knows the desires of my heart and in Him I can find the focus that I need.
In the meantime, where was I? Oh yes, I am going to focus the few, fleeting moments my mind gives me on living, being, and thinking as a God-focused creature, giving my self to his thoughts. “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Phil. 4:8