Adjust the Focus

Yesterday was a rather rough day. We are pretty much quarantined in light of the recent developments surrounding the Coronavirus. We’ll avoid crowds and the only place we might go would be the trails where there is not much chance of exposure. This meant that yesterday when I went to see my mom in a healthcare facility, I was turned away. It was so surreal, like something out of a movie. I totally understand, but it still stung for it to become so real.

It was also Chris’s 36^th birthday and I take his birthdays hard. He got one phone call and one card. How can he just be forgotten? He’s still here. It’s just an emotionally rough day. Add to that the declaring of a state of emergency across the country and it was just a heavy day. I didn’t even realize how bundled up my emotions were. Then, late last night Nicole C. Mullen popped up on Periscope. She was supposed to be traveling to a scheduled meeting, but it was canceled in light of the Coronavirus.

She just started singing. It was old school, praise choruses taken from scriptures. There was no music other than a simple beat. She was in her kitchen and just singing to the world. As I got lost in all those old church songs, I felt the burden begin to just lift off my shoulders and out of my heart. Then I began to cry – and it was one of those ugly cries. If you know me at all – you know I rarely cry. I just don’t.

I began to lift the depths of my pained heart to Him as she continued to sing. It was like one by one the burdens were being lifted off of me. My mom. My son. My aunt. My daddy. Work. Tiredness… need I go on? I know caregivers understand! We carry so much for other people we can so easily forget about ourselves. But He does not forget about us.

Just those few minutes of changing my focus from the multitude of things bothering me to praising Him just because He is – changed my perspective. Then this morning as I opened my Bible and just began to read, I found myself in Psalm 33. The first verse says Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Well, I guess my ugly cry was beautiful. Lol. Praise did give way to freedom for sure.

I encourage you today in light of all that’s going on – take a minute to praise Him. If you can’t find a reason, look at Psalm 33. Start with verses 8 and 9 that say: Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitance of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke and it was. He commanded and it stood fast. What a great place to start. Look at Him today.

Today, I’ll take my eyes off all that’s going on around me and I’ll fasten my gaze on Him. I’ll meditate on His greatness which does not diminish one iota with all the trouble and cares of the world. My thoughts will be on His grace. His mercy. His compassion toward us. Will you join me?