Focus on What God Wants You To!
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4:5-6
What Does God Want You To Focus On?
Ken was a busy man. He was always in a rush to get from one place to another without thinking about too much in between. Yes, he made time for his wife and kids on the weekend and even went to church every Sunday. Ken always had this ache inside knowing he needed to make time for what God wanted him to focus on in his life.
One Monday morning, Ken stopped into the local coffee shop. He usually left his SUV running in the parking lot so he could quickly get in and out. Ken was always running a little behind for a meeting or getting into the office. Today was not different. His daughter had wanted to show him some of her drawings over breakfast. As much as he wanted to see them, all he could think about was his morning meeting and his big project proposal. Usually the coffee shop he went to had a small line, but today as he jogged to the door, he could see a long line of people waiting at the register. He glanced down at his cell phone, making sure there was enough time. He was sure he couldn’t function through his meeting today without more caffeine. Ken was agitated waiting and listening to the mundane conversations around him. He kept his head down ignoring the people around him. He flipped through his emails even though he wasn’t looking for anything specific.
As Ken reached the counter to place his order, he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and ordered his usual. When he took his billfold out to pay, he finally looked up at the woman. She smiled and said there was no need for payment today. Ken was surprised as this was an unexpected gift. She informed him that someone had started to “pay it forward” about two hours ago when they first opened. It spawned a chain reaction all through the morning! The barista’s smile was contagious. Ken couldn’t help but stop to marvel over the kindness of strangers. He then took out a $10 bill from his wallet and handed it to the woman to keep the chain going.
When Ken got back to his car, he took a second to thank God for this little reminder to slow down, appreciate the gift of life, and the people in his life. Whether or not they are perfect strangers paying for coffee, or close family, like his daughter! We are called to be people of God and everyone is our family.
