Focus is important if we want to succeed in life. We need to be intentional on what we see and make sure we are focusing on what is important.
During the swim portion of a triathlon, I felt something hit me on my foot, not once but twice. I looked up to see a volunteer on a kayak who was shouting at me. He told me to stop and hold on to his kayak then he said, “Can you see?”
I didn’t respond right away because I was wondering how bad I must have been swimming for him to ask me this question, when he continued, “The shore is that way,” as he pointed to the right, “and you are swimming to the left. You’re going the wrong way.”
I have a tendency to swim to the left on a good day, and with the waves encouraging my already bad habit, he was right—I was way off course. The funny thing is that I thought I was swimming straight and would have kept on going if he hadn’t taken the time to stop me and show me the way. I’m so thankful he pointed me in the right direction and was intentional and determined to help me. He must have been yelling at me for a while before he finally had to hit me with his paddle! I’m glad he didn’t give up until he knew that I saw and heard him. He did his part, and then it was up to me to listen and obey his good advice.
As Christians, we should be like the kayaker and be intentional in seeking the spiritually lost and pointing them in the right direction. It’s not our responsibility to convince others, but like the man on the kayak, we are to simply tell the truth. He didn’t jump into the water and force me to swim to the safety of the shore; that wasn’t his job. He got my attention, warned me, and then told me what I needed to do. That is all that is required of us.
The found should always seek the lost, so share the gospel while you can. If you don’t, your voice will be replaced by a world that is even more intentional and determined to keep people as far away from God as possible.
PAUSE and REFLECT
Who in your life is “swimming” the wrong way and needs to be redirected?
BIBLE VERSES:
Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2 Timothy 4:2 – preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
2 Corinthians 4:18 – So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
An excerpt from the book Press On