adjusting your focus

{Today and every Thursday I blog over at Middle Places. Along with four other women, all gifted writers and in their own Middle spots, we Middle Sisters share our days and words ... please stop by.}

I did something a little daring for a nearly forty year old woman.

The other day, I bought a mirror.

And not just any ol' mirror.
No sir, I got a compact in size, but GIGANTIC in image reflection
10x magnification mirror.

OY.

(I had  a whole set of eyebrows I didn't know about...)

Anyway...

So, the thing with a mirror with that much magnification is that IT SHOWS EVERYTHING...but there is a key to using it. You have to pull it in close, otherwise it's out of focus.

Ah.

a life lesson from a magnification mirror.

How often , when life feels big and overwhelming , do we stand there, watching the whirl--feeling unfocused?

Unfocused.
Unsettled.

I love the words to the old hymn ...

turn your eyes upon Jesus

look full in His wonderful face

and the things of earth will grow strangely dim

in the light of His glory and grace.

I will be honest. 

When I bought that mirror-there was some buyer's remorse.

Who wants to see THAT many wrinkles and wayward eyebrows?

But you know what?

Only after taking the time, to pull it in close, and to look...

then I was able to change it.

I plucked and primped and considered hitting Pinterest for a homemade boxtox from Jello mixture ... heh.

The initial look was hard, but it paved the way for changing things.

Today.

What's got you feeling swirly?

What outcome are you contemplating?

What looms out in the distance ...making you wonder, exactly, what is going to happen?

Take a minute today to focus.

On HIM.

Pull Him in close, make Him your focus, let the other stuff blur...

open your eyes, look and see...

(there is grace for the waiting, that you didn't even know about)

This is God’s Word on the subject: “I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.

“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. 

Jeremiah 29:10-14