Dr. Marshall M. Windsor
There is an old expression that says, “you can’t see the
forest for the trees.” The implication is that you are so close to something
that you cannot see the larger, whole picture of where you are and where you are
going. All the trees, obligations, people, problems, and situations around you bring distractions that seemingly blind you. You forget how to get where you want to go! You lose your focus on what's before you - be it work goals, family agendas or even your life's purpose - and you find yourself putting out fires, so-to-speak, on a regular basis.
When I was a young teenager (who thought he knew everything)
my dad took me for a walk in the woods one day. When we were deep in the forest
he asked if I wanted to lead us back home. I said sure! After about an hour, he
asked me if I knew where we were. I painfully said, “no.” He said that we were
right back where we started!
When we are bombarded by the demands and distractions of the
world it is easy to get disoriented spiritually. When we are working to help
others connect to a God who cares so much about them that He sent His only son
to die on a cross for them, the battles can be incessant. Sin can knock on the
door of our hearts repeatedly.
That is why it’s crucial to routinely take some time for
prayer and reflection. Turn off the cell phone and computer and just get away—it
takes determination! Go for a drive, take a walk in the park, sit in the upper
deck of the church balcony if needed, but get to a quiet place alone where you
can hear the voice of God. We all need times of refreshing and refocusing as we
try to live a Godly life and help others see how awesome a life with God can be
for them.
As the writer of Hebrews encourages us: “Therefore, since we
are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything
that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer
and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2a)
