Where's Your Focus?
Last night, my wife and I were blessed to have two friends and mentors over for dinner. Both are in pastoral ministry of their own kind and have become people we deeply trust. Whenever we sit with them, we know the conversation will be rich, and the wisdom timely.
I’ve noticed a pattern: I’ll often walk into our time together carrying some kind of weight. Concerns, questions, things I’m wrestling through. And by the end? I feel lighter. Refocused. Ready to take on whatever comes next.
Why?
Because they do something powerful: they help orient my focus back to God. Back to purpose. Back to the One who has full control over what will or will not play out.
Last night was no different. I shared a story I’ve been carrying for a few weeks...something I’ve been praying through, seeking clarity on. (Funny… we’re always seeking clarity. That’s probably a whole other article.) After listening, one of them gave it to me straight: “Stop focusing on the event. Focus on Christ—the one who had and has the power over what happened, and what happens next.”
Simple. But dramatic. A shift in focus that changed everything.
As I reflected more, I realized this isn’t a new concept. Jesus did this all the time. He consistently pulled people's focus off their immediate problem and pointed them to a deeper truth, a greater power, and an eternal perspective.
Here are just three quick examples:
1. Calming the Storm – Mark 4:35–41
“A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat… But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.”
“He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’”
Focus Shift: The disciples panicked at the storm. Jesus was asleep, completely unbothered. When He woke, He didn’t react to the storm’s intensity. He simply rebuked it. Then He addressed their faith, not the storm. The storm isn’t the point. His power over it is.
2. Feeding the 5,000 – John 6:5–13
“Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough…’
“Jesus then took the loaves… gave thanks… and distributed them.”
Focus Shift: The disciples focused on logistics—on what they lacked. Jesus focused on what they had. He doesn’t magnify the lack. He multiplies the little.
3. Healing the Blind Man – John 9:1–7
“Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned… but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
Focus Shift: The disciples were looking for blame. Jesus looked for an opportunity for God’s glory. Jesus doesn’t dwell on the cause. He reveals the purpose.
We could keep going. Scripture is full of moments like these. The theme is clear: if you’re fixated on the obstacle in front of you, maybe it’s there for a reason. Maybe it’s your invitation to lean in—not to the problem, but to the presence and purpose of God.
So ask yourself:
Are you dwelling on the issue, or turning your attention to the One who has authority over it?
Are you trying to control outcomes, or resting in the One who already sees them?
Are you focused on what’s missing, or what God might be doing with what’s already in your hands?
When we shift our focus to Jesus, putting our trust fully in Him and walking forward under His authority, things begin to change. The noise quiets. The meaning becomes clearer. And the weight we carried starts to feel lighter.
So…
Where’s your focus?
-Mark
