To Focus

Ironically, after beginning my day writing about distractions, I attended a meeting of teachers where the presenter was Kim Mathis, the Director of Focusing Families in our area, and focusing on what we can do for others was the focus of the meeting! The opposite of distraction, focus is how we “fix our eyes on Jesus” and live the way we are to live. I thought that was funny – not the verse, obviously – but the timing of the topic, which I saw as another humorous God-moment that I prefer not to chalk up to coincidence. Another reminder that God most definitely is involved in the details of our lives.

And if there ever was an organization that worked hard to stay free of distractions, it is Focusing Families, which helps physically and emotionally abused women and men each year. I was not distracted at the meeting. I took pages of notes. And my pen didn’t bother me one bit!

Stories about family members forcing a younger sister on the street to prostitute, wives being infected with HIV from their husbands, women repeatedly fleeing from abusive partners, financial worries that inevitably keep many from leaving, and fearful worries about custody battles were packed inside the brief 30-minute program, a powerful program filled with enough heartache to last a lifetime. And as the presenter spoke, I looked around the room and wondered how many victims of sexual assault or domestic violence might be attending this meeting, women wearing a disguise we all wear at one time or another, not necessarily of abuse, but a mask that says our world is all right when it’s exactly the opposite. As Kim said, “We can’t peg a victim.”

And as Kim ecouraged us to invest our time and care about what’s going on with those around us and pay attention not just to the kids in schools, but also to our co-workers, family, friends, and neighbors, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of God’s plan – how He gives us innumerable opportunities to go do what He wants done in this world. To do what He would do if He were physically walking on this earth again. To look at people and listen to people and sit with people and give to people. To care. Each day. Just as He met the woman by the well in the midst of what she was doing, we also meet people in the midst of what they’re doing and sometimes they’re living in the midst of a mess. Yet by caring, our lives reveal Jesus Christ.

At a meeting about battered lives, I was reminded that there are lives at stake each day, a reminder that it isn't just good to stay focused on Jesus, but it's extremely important to keep my eyes firmly fixed on Him. To invest my time on His behalf. I’ve been called to care. We’ve been called to care.

And ironically, a life full of distractions is a life well lived when we focus on God.

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Focusing Families is a non-profit organization  “committed to strengthening individuals, families and communities through education, prevention and intervention to eliminate Family Violence, Sexual Assault, and other crisis issues” (Focusing Families brochure).

Website:  www.focusing-families.org

Crisis line: 979-826-0000 or 1-877-Be-SAFE-9

Focusing on a Few Facts:

13,700 children are abused and neglected every day

4 children die from child abuse every day

About 44% of rape victims are under 18

Over 85% of all sexual assaults involve acquaintances or friends