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"Focusing on the Father"

For most of my childhood, I lived very close to a not-so-busy railway line and walked on the tracks almost every day. Looking back, I think as a kid I was pretty much skilled in walking and perhaps running a short distance on the narrow train track. It was a simple trick I mastered so well. I kept my eyes fixed on the narrow line, because I knew the moment I wander to the left or right and lost my concentration, the next step would be a painful slip.

After taking a few steps for some time, keeping my equilibrium became natural. In no time I started running slowly and then quickly. The trick about walking on a narrow metal rail is an example of how we should walk with the Lord. God demands 100 percent concentration from us if we want to walk with Him. 

In Matthew 14, the disciples saw Jesus walking on the lake, and Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus replied, “Come.” Peter then came down the boat and walked toward Jesus. Initially he was having fun walking on water when his eyes were focused, but the moment he lost his focus on the word “come,” he began to sink. Peter walked on the promise that Jesus gave him; however, he couldn’t stop worrying about his surroundings. The order from Jesus didn’t change. The power in the word “come” didn’t diminish when Peter started to walk, so what happened that after a short distance Peter began to sink? His focus moved away from Jesus. Perhaps he looked at the waves and couldn’t believe himself walking on water. Or maybe Peter saw a beautiful goldfish that took his focus away. Whatever might have happened in his mind, his going down in the water had nothing to do with the command Jesus gave him but had everything to do with himself.

Focusing on the Father can be akin to walking on a narrow train line. No matter what is happening around or within us, our focus should be on Him. The moment we take our focus off Jesus we begin to worry about things that will not improve the situation we’re in. When our focus is not on the Lord, we walk on the edges of scripture, go with every interpretation, and compromise easily on any decision.