Refocus on Christ
by Lauren Surber
February 25, Wednesday – Psalms 119:49-72, 49, [53], Deuteronomy 9:13-21, Hebrews 3:12-19, John 2:23–3:15
When I was four, I was a goalie on my pee-wee soccer team. My sole purpose was to keep the ball out of my team’s goal, preventing the opposing team from scoring. Unfortunately, my young mind was so easily distracted by the simplest of thoughts and cravings. I started out strong – protecting my goal firmly with my full attention, but soon my mind became distracted by my tummy. I got hungry and thirsty. After only 20 minutes had passed, I abandoned my post as goalie to get a snack from my parents.
Perhaps I have matured since then and my attention span has grown longer, but my problem still remains. My purpose as a Christian is to love God and love others, but I am still so easily distracted. Today’s readings remind me that the Israelites struggled with this too.
Deuteronomy 9:7-21 describes what happened after Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments. The Israelites were supposed to be waiting patiently for God’s direction while Moses was gone, but instead they were distracted by an idol. Their minds wandered from their purpose and shifted to earthly matters. The story of Israel is the story of each one of us. Seasons of life come when we too place our purpose in the hands of our own idols. In this season of Lent, let us remember our feeble nature. Let us repent of our distractions and re-focus onto Christ.
“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12). When distractions tempt us from our true purpose in Christ, may learn to be like Nicodemus. In today’s gospel reading, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, seeking truth and purpose. May we all come to Jesus as well, and find our truest self in him, instead of our own idols.
Image by Jody Roberts (used by permission via Creative Commons).
