Finding F.O.C.U.S – Day Two

My life lacks focus, still. It’s only day two, so I’ve giving myself a little grace. Hopefully you are too! In an effort to create more focus in my life and some gentle reminders on how to do that, I created a few words for each letter of the word F.O.C.U.S. Yesterday we talked about F = Finding Peace. Today we are talking about habits.

As a reminder, this is what I have F.O.C.U.S. mean:

F = Finding Peace
O = Observing Our Habits
C = Christ Centered Life
U = Understanding God’s Role in Our Life
S = Simplify Our Lives

Over five days, there will be a post for each letter.

Day 2

O = Observing our habits: How are we spending our time? The things we do on a daily basis create our habits, even those we do subconsciously. Are those things bringing us closer to God and the plans He has for us or are we doing things that are pulling us away from God? I’ve learned when I do things in my own timing or under my own strength, they rarely turnout well. A great example of this was my first job out of college. I desperately wanted to move to Colorado from Denver and I jumped on the first job offer rather than checking in with God. I wound up at a firm which skirted ethics on a routine basis and made working for them uncomfortable. However, if I had waited on God and His perfect timing, the circumstances would have flowed as opposed to me pushing and pulling against the current.

If you’re open to it, track what you do out of habit on a daily basis. Live more present in your life and observe your habits. It could be that the snooze alarm gets hit three times instead of getting out of bed. Set the alarm clock for later and give yourself the extra 15 minutes of uninterrupted sleep to start out the day with a little more energy. Or go to bed 15 minutes earlier so the alarm clock doesn’t have to get hit three times. By hitting the snooze button multiple times, we’re already telling ourselves it’s okay to compromise.

Before you roll out of bed in the morning after hitting the snooze button multiple times, do you check the news on your smartphone or computer? Consider beginning your day with a daily devotional, prayer, or stretching to start your day on a different tone to create a habit of joy. In 1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV) it states, “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.” Are there habits in your life that are unhelpful and dominate you without you knowing it? I challenge you to take a look at your daily habits and find out what is and isn’t serving you.

What habits do you need to change? Share them in the comments below so we can encourage you.

Tomorrow, we tackle the letter C = Christ Centered Life. Sign up for the email list, so you don’t miss a single letter this week.