The One Thing
Do you ever find that your attention can easily get fragmented? Are you distracted by “squirrels,” distressed by news reports, anxious from conversations or frazzled from emotional churn?
I was taking a walk with God recently and chatting about stuff that’s heavy on my heart. As we talked, I felt like God asked me, “Sarah, is that needful? What is needful for you?” This reminded me of Jesus’s words to Martha in Luke 10:41-42, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
I began to reflect on the whole one-thing concept, and I thought about various places in the Bible with this one-thing directive. I was reminded of Jesus’s directive in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:33, where he says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Furthermore, in Psalm 27:4 we read, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.”
In all of these references, the one thing revolves around keeping God not only scoped in our lives, but fully centered in the crosshairs of our focus. Maybe it’s easier to keep God in the crosshairs when we don’t have lots of distractions, activities, demands, responsibilities, appointments, stresses, etc. But I find that life happens, responsibilities must be maintained and stresses are often unavoidable. So how can we keep our focus settled on God? How can we keep God as our one thing?
In thinking about the tension and even conflict between focusing on God and navigating life, I’m reminded of the Biathlon. This is a sport that combines a cross-country skiing race and sharp shooting target rifle skills. The biathlete has to do the cross-country skiing sprint, often getting their heart rate racing at more than 120 beats per minute. At this peak rate, the biathlete then has to stop and shoot a target that could be the size of a golf ball or a DVD. This can be extremely challenging trying to have a laser focus when the body is pulsing with adrenaline and energy. Nevertheless, biathletes train to achieve Olympic-level focus during intensely stressful experiences and very strenuous physical exertion.
Here are some things that might help you keep your focus on God laser sharp:
- When you feel yourself getting anxious or stressed out, choose to zero in on a phrase to give your mind a focal point different than the stresses. For me, I remember what Jesus said to Martha, “One thing is necessary.”
- Take a walk or do a workout to bleed off some of the stress with a physical activity.
- Breathe and specifically slow down the exhale. Doing this can help you release the tension.
- Keep in mind that God never leaves us nor forsakes us, staying ever present with us in every experience, situation and moment.
In finishing this blog, I’m reminded of Hebrews 12:2a, which says, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.”
Let’s keep our focus on Jesus as our one thing!
