Hi Living Hope,
What you give your attention to is the person you become. That isn’t a profound statement. It may even be rather obvious. But for some reason when I read that in my personal reading this past week, it struck a nerve. What you give your attention to is the person you become.
What does that say to the one who gives attention to nonstop news? How might this speak to the brain that rehashes every conversation? What about what we are filling our minds with? Our secret fantasies of revenge. Our lust for things. Our feeding of gossip. Too many Tik-Tok videos. Trashy romance novels. What you give your attention to is the person you become.
Now that is convicting. It is cause for pause. I am forced to ask, “What have I been giving my attention to lately?”
I remember giving youth talks years ago on ‘Garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO). In the world of computers, regardless of how accurate a program’s logic, the results will be flawed if the input is invalid. Output of a computer can only be as accurate as the information entered into it.
The person we are becoming (output) will be based on what we are letting in (input)- for good or bad! Jesus put it this way, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” What you give your attention to is the person you become.
Let’s face it, there are many things competing for our attention. We like to keep our options open. Honestly, this is one reason we struggle as a church to get commitments. Signing up is a challenge. What if something “better” opens up?
Speaking of signing up. Don’t forget to sign up for the marriage conference by filling out the brochure. You can now pay for the conference online by going to our web page. This conference is not only for married couples but also for those couples yet to be married. This conference is designed to help you Reconnect to your partner and to Reconnect to the Lord.
Reconnecting is really about refocusing. It is about giving our attention to the preciousness of this life. Personally, I want to increase my awareness of what is getting my attention. I want to reduce all the noise that gets in the way of the bulk of my attention to the Lord and to all the good and precious moments of life. Who am I becoming?
Am I becoming a person who has learned how to abide in Christ? Am I becoming a person who has understood the meaning of the easy yoke of Jesus? Am I becoming a pastor, a husband, a father, a friend, a mentor, a follower of Jesus who consistently manifests the fruit of the Spirit? Am I enjoying the life Jesus intended for me to live? Am I experiencing the goodness of each day?
Am I…
We get out what we put in! We become what we give our attention to!
Blessings to you, church, Pastor Brian
An Evangelical Free Church