My first job after gradutating from the University of Washington was a draftsperson at a local engineering firm. A draftsperson spends at least eight hours a day in front of a computer, drawing architectural plans that include thousands of small details. When immersed in a project, it was common to look up at the clock and realize my eyes were fixed on my computer screen for hours. After roughly eight months at this job, I found my eyesight was being affected. I could see clearly directly in front of me, but when trying to focus on something far away, it got blurry. In fact, I was becoming near sighted! I quickly rushed to the eye doctor, who confirmed my experience. His solution? As you work in such small details on your computer, you have to get in the habit of lifting your eyes every 15 minutes or so, and focusing on something down the hall from your office. Doing this will keep your vision healthy, able to clearly see things both near and far away. It reminds me of daily life in the Kingdom of God.
Yesterday was a full day of meetings, phone calls, and e-mail correspondence. In the middle of such a routine, I can get bogged down in the details of life and ministry. While this is to be expected, there is the risk of only focusing on what is immediately ahead of me. I can easily develop clear vision for the immediate (here and now) demands of life, while the bigger picture (future) gets blurred.
My last meeting of the day yesterday made me pause and reflect on my future: our Marriage Dynamics class. We have heard people rave about, enthusiastically proclaiming it the best invesement they’ve ever made in their marriage! We sent three couples to faclitator training last October, and just began our first class here in the South Sound. One of the first admonishments was very wise: don’t get bogged down in the details of the homework and significant investment of time; see the big picture of a healthy marriage that lasts well into the future!
How often do we stop and reflect on our actions in the present? The details of work can consume our minds. Has anyone else out there felt yourself going from one small, immediate crisis to another in your role as a parent? Have you become fixated on the consistent, small "duties" as a disciple? We’ll never get around this experience – it is life. However, by lifting our eyes periodically to whats ahead of us can help us to direct our steps and prioritize our duties instead of just being busy. So as you go about your day, every once in a while, stop, pause and ask yourself some questions:
1. Is this the most important thing to be doing right now?
2. Even thought this task seems hard now, is it building for the future?
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