{"id":1363,"date":"2016-07-30T14:06:47","date_gmt":"2016-07-30T19:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=1363"},"modified":"2019-05-17T15:11:30","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T20:11:30","slug":"focus-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2016\/07\/30\/focus-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"7:30:16<\/a>by Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

\u201cO soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see?\u201d<\/p>\n

These are the first lines of a great old hymn. Even though Helen Lemmel wrote these questions decades ago, they are relevant today, aren\u2019t they?\u00a0 Here\u2019s what she says next:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

We all feel overwhelmed<\/a> at times. Lemmel simply reminds us, when we get discouraged, to take some time to focus on something\u2014Someone\u2014else.\u00a0 As we shift our attention to Jesus, our troubles don\u2019t disappear. They just settle into a different perspective.<\/p>\n

Turn<\/b> your eyes away from your troubles, and look at Jesus.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/b>, as He says:<\/p>\n

I love you in the mess of your life, and day by day I’m redeeming it and setting it right. It is beautiful now, and it is becoming more beautiful. You don’t have to fix anything. You just have to rest, and follow and let me work.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Live<\/b> in the present, aware of God\u2019s loving presence. The past is redeemed. The future is secure. The present is really all you have at any given time.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerfect love drives out\u00a0fear.\u201d\u00a0 1 John 4:18<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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