Where Should My Focus Be?

    Two things stand out in my mind and heart as I reflect back on Christmas and look forward to a new year. The first is a thought inspired by several different nativity sets which were unpacked and placed around the house early in December. A special gift from our neighbor of a carved olivewood ornament from Bethlehem depicting the nativity scene was hung on the tree. Then there were the carvings dad made as presents for the family years ago from a flat half-circular piece of pine wood. He used his scroll saw to cut out the simple figures of Joseph, Mary and the manger, which fit into the wood like puzzle pieces when standing up on its edge.

   Another set consisted of ceramic, hand painted figurines grouped together before a replica of a rough wooden stable. There were also the collections consisting of many tiny brass figures including shepherds, wise men, angels and animals; a carved nativity on a music box which turned around and around to the tune of “Toyland;” and finally the one represented by small child-like resin figures gathered around a plastic stable.

   One thing they had in common besides including the figures of Mary, Joseph and Jesus is that they all depicted a scene where people were quietly focused on the baby in the manger. He was the object of their attention, whether they were bowing in worship, presenting a gift, kneeling before him or standing, gazing at him. This reminded me to take time to be quiet and focus my attention on God’s beloved Son every day.     

   Setting aside time…not necessarily a goal for the new year, but in reality a great need. It is something I need, and we all need to do if we are going to grow in our relationship with the Lord. Not only is it easy to get distracted at Christmas, but every single day is full of distractions, emergencies and things clamoring for our attention, pulling us in many different directions.

   When Mary’s sister Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was just sitting at his feet listening, while she was doing all of the work preparing the meal, he replied that Mary was right where she needed to be! It’s our choice—one which should be at the top of our priority list each and every day.

   A second, similar message came through a new Christmas decoration, a gift of three green blocks which spelled out the word JOY. There wasn’t enough room to line them up, so I put the O on top with the J & Y underneath. That seemed to make sense; however during the annual neighborhood “Birthday Party for Jesus” at our house, a young girl nudged my arm.

    “I fixed the blocks,” she whispered. It took a minute to realize what she was referring to. “I put the J on top.”

    She had rearranged the blocks, with the O on the bottom left, the Y on the bottom right and the J on top, in between the other two. It really didn’t seem to matter. But later I remembered an acrostic for the word “joy” in which the J stands for Jesus, the O for others and Y for yourself. Joy comes from putting Jesus first, others second and yourself last. Her arrangement of the blocks fit better with that acrostic.

   Please dear Father, give us the desire to focus on Jesus, putting Him first in our lives. Help us make whatever sacrifices or changes which might be required to do that and may 2016 be a year of JOY! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

   “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’

   ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10: 40-42 NIV