Where’s Your Focus? by Joyce Olsen

I’m single-minded in pursuit of You; don’t let me miss the road signs You’ve posted. Psalm 119:15 (MSG)  

” Look Up!” watercolor by Kathy Hunt

Shortly after I retired, my husband and I fulfilled a dream, along with our good friends, to visit the East Coast in our motorhomes. Our primary purpose was to take in the breathtaking beauty of the fall colors at their peak in the Eastern U.S. The two-month journey began with us caravanning along the Trans-Canada Highway with stops in Quebec and Montreal, Niagara Falls, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, then continuing south along the entire east coast.

My husband and I quickly learned that our traveling companion needed time each morning and, at most stops, to whip out his paper map to ensure our destination for the day was spot on with minimal interruption. We lacked the luxury of GPS or smartphones, so when we spent several days in New York City, before moving to a specific destination, our companion would engage the paper map of NYC, which included marked subway stations bus routes, etc. For people more adventurous, as my husband and I were, this became an oppressive, restrictive issue as we enjoyed the sense of exploring the unknown and the challenge of making it there somehow.

 One afternoon, after a tiring day, we were looking for a subway station to get us back to our motorhome villa. One of my favorite pictures of the trip was the one of our traveling companion, whose face was hidden behind a spread-out paper map, trying to pinpoint the nearest subway station, while right above his head was a big sign that said “SUBWAY” with a down arrow pointing to the entrance.  

Sometimes we’re so focused on the “map” that we can miss the leading of the Spirit. Let’s be single-minded, focusing on His plan and path for us. His Word and His Spirit will lead us into all truth.

Joyce Olsen (Sonrise Magazine Editor) Author. Majored in Child Psychology and Elementary Education at Biola University and Fresno State University in California. However, her natural bent seemed to better match business and administration. In those fields, she worked in corporate administration, church administration, and also as an Information Security Analyst in the medical field. The focus of her writing is to inspire and provoke thought.

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