Friday, August 28, 2015

Losing Focus

I’m legally blind.

Well, at least, without corrective lenses, I would be legally blind.

This fact was made painfully clear to me last fall when I struggled with an eye infection that forced me out of my contact lenses (for the first time in 25 years) and into outdated glasses. Aside from the entertainment value for my kids who found the jumbo-sized 80’s prescription sunglasses hilarious, the experience gave me a renewed appreciation for the simple things – being able to read a menu, see a computer screen, watch TV, or read the Bible without holding it six inches from my nose.

But God also used it to show me the importance of keeping my focus on Him.

In the midst of these visual challenges, I was coordinating the design and construction of props for our Marching Band. For the first time, the Marching Band at our Christian high school designed a show with an overt Christian message. Based on an original poem by an alumnus, with music written by another alumnus, the show pointed to God as the artist designing our life – and revealed that we may not always see the picture clearly based on our limited view. The prop was a massive easel with a sixteen-feet-tall painting that was revealed one small piece at a time. Like isolated moments in our life, we miss the "bigger picture" that God is creating. The pieces seem unrelated – until the entire picture is unveiled and we see God's purpose revealed.



Although in many ways this prop was less complex than ones we’ve done previously, we encountered a series of obstacles that threatened to completely overwhelm me. I started to lose hope that we would actually be able to accomplish the design. While many of our shows could go on without the props, this show would really lose its punch if we failed.

Then God revealed the real obstacle. I had lost my focus.

This show was not about the music. It was not about the prop design or even about the poem. The point of this show was to glorify God. He inspired the poem. He inspired the music. And He inspired the prop design – all to point the audience to Him.

Confessing my own lack of prayer and asking others to join me in seeing our struggles as a spiritual battle, the priorities suddenly became crystal clear and the solution materialized as if I had suddenly put on a new pair of glasses.

How about you? Have you ever lost focus on the main thing and wandered around in frustration? Have you ever had God make something so clear to you that you just had to share the vision with others? Share your stories in the comments section and click below to see the NRCA Marching Knights' final performance of 2014!




6 comments:

  1. I've missed your blogging. You reminded me how we stress about pleasing man when it should be about pleasing God.
    Having attended many football games at this school I've seen the dedication you've had with amazing creativity. And I've always felt God's message in whatever the theme was.
    The video was too far away to truly appreciate seeing it in person.
    Thanks for helping me stay focused.

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    1. Thank you so much, Daphne! One of the many things I love about our school is the focus on doing all to the glory of God.

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  2. Thanks for helpiing us with keeping the focus, Felicia!

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    1. Thank YOU Alice, for all that you have done to encourage me over the past...has it only been six months since your writers' beach retreat? Seems like we've been friends forever.

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  3. Love your examples and your descriptions, Felicia. Your writing is such a blessing! Keep it coming!!

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  4. Thanks Deb! Anything praiseworthy is from the Lord, my prayer to Him is "keep it coming!" :-)

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