How's Your Focus?

Last night was a particularly hard night with Beth. I have a strong feeling some toothies might be trying to make their grand appearance. I woke up to fussiness and crying several times last night. I was VERY tired this morning. So tired that I did not want to get out of bed and come to church. I'm so glad I did though. The message spoken today seemed to be aimed at ME. Don't you just love when that happens? I'd like to share a few points with you. The lesson was taken from the book of Luke, Chapter 9 verses 13-17. It's the passage where Jesus takes the five loaves of bread and two fish, gives thanks to God and breaks it. Before the apostles' and the hungry crowds' eyes, God provided an abundance of food for the people. So much that there were twelve basketfuls of leftovers!
There are a few things that can take away or lessen your focus from God: physical fatigue, other people, and place or position. But to keep your focus on God you have to: expect the unexpected (be willing and open to do what God expects you to do at the time He expects you to do it--no matter how you feel), stop making excuses, wait on and obey God's instructions (as the apostles did), watch Him work (as the apostles witnessed Jesus feed the multitude of people with so little), experience the maximum return (apostles picked up TWELVE baskets of leftovers). The speaker today urged us to pick up our baskets of thankfulness just as the apostles picked up the baskets of leftover food. We have so much to be thankful for and need to be aware of all that God has so graciously blessed us with!
I don't mean to sound "preachy" but this just struck a chord in my heart and it was just what I needed to hear in this busy stage of my life when my focus can stray in so MANY different directions. God needs to be first and everything else will fall into place.