Refocus and Rejoice

There are times when our daily routines seem to drag us down. We get sidetracked and then feel guilty we didn’t get something completed like we always do. We get too focused on the process or the routine trying to make sure we don’t leave anything out. Then we are distracted by our concern of doing it right.

We want to do the right things God asks us to do but He doesn’t expect us to do them in a certain way every time as long as we put Him first in all we do. He knows we need to change our routine up some so we aren’t getting bored or dreading the task and losing focus on the end result. He wants to be first even if it means just sitting quietly and feeling His presence.

Deuteronomy 6:5 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

God doesn’t want us to focus so much on the process of helping others and doing our daily routines that we lose focus on Him. He wants us to remember our mission and purpose on earth and do the things which are in line with serving both Him and others.

If we are getting up every morning and spending an hour with God, we can do that in a variety of ways. We can spend our time praying, reading or meditating on His word. We can spend time writing down our thoughts about the things going on in our lives and how God wants us to use our daily actions to serve Him. The focus is on Him but the process can change up.

Adding variety to the things we do will help us to stay fresh. We can do this by reading different translations of the Bible when we read His word. We can do this by changing up our morning routine or adding something else to our evening routine that we normally do in the morning.

God doesn’t want us to feel as if we are being forced to do anything. When we feel like we are in a rut or in a routine and are dreading doing something that will glorify God, we need to stop. We need to refocus on what got us started. We need to review the great things God has done for us. We need to ask Him what we need to change in our hearts and lives so we become new again and excited about serving Him.

Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

When we feel like we are doing things out of routine, we need to stop and listen to God. He is asking, “Do you love Me?” Once we refocus on His love and feel His peace that He gives us, we will begin to enjoy the process more and find ways to better serve Him. Sometimes we just need to refocus and rejoice.

When we serve God, no matter what we are doing or where we are, we need to remember He wants us to rejoice in all we do. It shouldn’t feel like a chore or feel like something we have to do because He wants us to. We should do it because we love Him and desire to be like Jesus. Jesus didn’t believe anything he did was a chore. He did it out of his love for His Father and for others.

When we see things we do as chores and struggles and challenges, we need to stop and rejoice for what God has done. We need to ask Him to show us how to do things out of love. We need to ask God to help us refocus on what is important to Him. We need to get excited again and know that He is the focus and the tasks should come naturally when we are focused on Him. When we do this, He can help us get excited again about the process and help us to make a difference.