By Sue Seydel

While waiting at a traffic light for the light to turn green, I noticed that a car coming in the opposite direction started to go through the red light.  The truck next to me was turning left and he started to turn into her car.  The woman in the car put up her hands as to say “I’m sorry.”  As the truck continued to approach the side of her car, the woman’s hands went up in defense as if the truck would hit her.  

Rather than thinking, “What a foolish lady, she isn’t even paying attention”, I had compassion for her knowing where she was coming from.  I’m sure that she was not focusing on the light; instead she was focusing on the car next to her who had a green arrow.  When the arrow turned green and her “neighbor” car started to turn, she assumed the light was green and she also moved forward.  

I’ve done this before.  The car next to me will start to move and since I’m watching that car, and not the light, I move too!  Then I’ll stop suddenly realizing that my light is still red.  If I was looking up at my light, like I should be, I wouldn’t have this problem.  Yes, I need to be aware of my surroundings, but my focus needs to be on the signal light.

This is true in life also.  How many times do we take our focus off of the Lord and put it on circumstances or trials around us?  Sometimes we look at other people and compare ourselves to them or make decisions according to what they are doing.  God wants us to look up.  Look to Him for direction.  When we take our eyes off of Him and put them on the situations around us, we will most likely end up in a crash.  Our life tends to get “messed up”.  

Do you ever find yourself looking around at your friends and saying, “How come they get to do that?”, or “What about me?”  Sometimes we take our eyes off of the Lord and what He is doing in our life and we put them on what He is doing for others. Then we tend to feel pity for ourselves.  If we keep our eyes on the Lord and what His plan is for us, there is no pity, just acceptance and thankfulness.  And we can actually rejoice in what He is doing for others.  

Ask yourself where your focus is?  Is it on the Lord and what He has for you, or is it on your neighbor and what He is doing in their life?  Ask God to redirect your focus to where it needs to be; up!  Look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.  He will direct your paths.  Let’s keep our focus on Him and avoid those crashes and close calls.  

May the Lord richly bless you as you as you seek Him.

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