Focus on Your Muse: Keeping Your Peace, Avoiding Anxiety

 

This morning I literally felt anxiety trying it’s best to consume me. I stopped and had a full fledged convo with God. Here’s how it went:

Me: How am I supposed to get through this? It makes no sense to believe that God will keep me and my loved ones when people…GOOD people…are dying everyday. How do I continuously trust God in the midst of such raging craziness?

Holy Spirit: The Bible says when the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the lord will raise up a standard against it. 

Me: That sounds great…but how do I trust that a standard will actually be raised?

Holy Spirit: All of his promises are yes and amen. So you can trust him.

Me: Okay, well I need a promise I can hold on to right now cause I’m literally about to lose it…

Holy Spirit: I will keep you in perfect peace if you keep your eyes stayed on me. *flashes a memory of dance rehearsal from when I was 13 years old*

Me: Mmm.

…….

I always loved dance. Admittedly, I likely wasn’t the most graceful…but it was still pretty dope. 😂🤷🏾‍♀️

I remember one day one of my instructors taught us the proper way to do a pirouette. You know…the classic ballet spin where you just keep spinning. It was all fun & games until everybody started getting nauseous.

To avoid the dizziness, my instructor told us to keep our eyes on one stationary target, a wall, a door, anything that wasn’t moving. It completely changed the game for ya girl! I felt like I could do infinite turns! 😂

While she was teaching us how not to throw up,🙃 God was teaching me the basics of trusting him.

This world is CRAZY…and this morning my mind got to turning. Death, pandemics, ignorance, evil, and madness are just at an all-time high…BUT Holy Spirit had to remind me in order to not throw up or “go crazy,” I HAVE to keep my focus on one stationary target, Jesus.

See, peace has much more to do with your focal point than your actual circumstances. 

That’s how Jesus could sleep on a boat in a storm. That’s how Peter could walk on water…and that’s how you and I can get through today & tomorrow.

What are you focusing on?

What has your gaze? 

The lesson is this:

Don’t let the news of the world being the world distract you from your muse. 

Here are some practical ways to keep your focus on things above. 

1. Turn on some worship music…and turn it up LOUD. Use headphones if you need to. 

2. Keep repeating your favorite scripture over and over until you DON’T sound crazy to yourself.

3. Close your eyes and pray…out loud or quietly or in your head…whatever works for you.

4. Journal…with a pen or in your notes app. You can even open an email draft on your computer…just get it out. Anything that you can express or put on paper is just a thing…and God is greater than ANY THING. Remember that!

5. Turn OFF the news. Stop refreshing your social media feed. Nothing has changed. The crazies are still crazy and will still be crazy when you get back. 

Ultimately, do whatever you gotta do to keep your eyes on Jesus. It’s getting crazier out here, but God hasn’t changed. He’s stationary. Focus on Him.

I’ll end it with the lyrics of a song that I’ve had on repeat lately…

His word shall not fail you he promised

Believe him and all will be well

Then go to a world that is dying

His perfect salvation to tell

Turn 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