Frustrations and Focus

This has been an unusually busy week, and all this extra activity means that much of what was on my to-do list for the week remains undone.  Which means that, in addition to being more than a little weary from all the busyness, I'm also more than a little frustrated because of what hasn't been accomplished on my list.

Does that ever happen to you?  Do you ever get frustrated by what you haven't accomplished?

Maybe it has nothing to do with a to-do list.  Maybe it's because you're trying to diet, and you had that one bad day, so you're frustrated and ready to give up.  Maybe you're frustrated because of some other circumstance in your life. 

We all get frustrated from time to time.  When those frustrations come, as they inevitably will, it's easy to lose focus.  Or to focus on the wrong thing.  To focus on what didn't get done instead of what did.  To focus on the hot fudge sundae you just ate and feel guilty about, instead of on the fifty pounds (or five or ten, or whatever....) that you already lost. 

Frustrations come in all shapes and sizes and for all sorts of reasons.  What frustrates me might not frustrate you.  But we all have to deal with frustrations.

It would be very easy for me to be so frustrated over everything I haven't accomplished this week that I lose sight of all the good things that happened.  A surprise visit from a friend on Monday.  The semi-annual girlfriend getaway in Pigeon Forge with another friend.  That getaway always brings shopping, good food, lots of laughter, and good conversation. 

There was that encouraging note that brightened my day.  And the doctor's visit that resulted in a change in medication which will hopefully improve my physical condition.  There was the beauty in nature that I experienced as I drove over to Pigeon Forge.  The beautiful sunset on Wednesday.  The beauty of the morning sky on Thursday.

It really is a matter of focus.  When my focus becomes blurred and I find myself distracted, it is sometimes an effort to get myself going in the right direction again.  Perhaps it is for you as well.  What I have found to be the biggest help when I find myself in this situation is to go to the Scriptures.  God's Word has a wonderful way of getting me focused back in the right direction, no matter what the circumstances that have distracted me.

Psalm 103 is one of my favorite places to turn when I find myself out of focus.  If you're finding yourself distracted, or out of focus, or just a little bit out of sorts, try reading that Psalm.  Here are a few verses to get you started:

Bless, the LORD, O my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases;

Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

 

 

Read the whole thing.  Focus your attention on the Lord and on all He has done.  It will really put all that other stuff into proper perspective!

 

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the LORD, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; bless the LORD, O my soul!  (Psalm 103:1, 22 NASB)