Staying on Task

Haggai 1:9 (NASB)

9 "You look for much, but behold, it comes to little ; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why ?" declares the LORD of hosts, "Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.

I have had Attention Deficit Disorder for most of my life.   As a child, my teachers were always after me to "stay on task."  I get sidetracked with something that caught my attention and would end up neglecting the actual work I should have been doing.  The end result was time outs in the corner, grades that were not stellar and a whole lot of frustration on everyone's part.

Unfortunately, many of us are also guilty of having spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder.   We get so preoccupied with the things of this life that we end up ignoring the things God has put before us.   This was certainly the case with the people in Haggai's time.   They had allowed the Lord's temple to lie in ruins for years as they focused on building up houses and wealth for themselves.  In a similar fashion to my teachers, God had disciplined them for their choices.  Their crops were not as productive, they were working twice as hard for half as much as God sought to bring them back to His purpose for their lives.

Today you may find yourself feeling like a hamster on a hamster wheel.  You are running and running, but not really finding yourself going anywhere.  I would encourage you to step back and evaluate whether you are focused in on the tasks God has put before you.   The stationary place you find yourself in, may simply be His way of getting your attention, so that He can direct you back to His plans and purposes for your life.  

In the end, your decision to focus once again on the things of God will bring about greater blessings in your life.  

Until next Monday, may God's richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl