Daily Devotional for May 26, 2017
Walking the Beam
Mara climbed up onto the beam Dad had built for her. She was determined to make the school gymnastics team, but after taking a few steps, she wobbled and nearly slipped off. “Focus your eyes on that picture you put up,” Mom said.
While staring at the picture on the wall across the room, Mara slowly lifted her foot. But when she glanced back at her mother, she tilted to the left and then swayed to the right. She tried to regain her balance but had to hop down to keep from toppling off the beam. She climbed back up. “I’m gonna get this,” she said. “I just have to focus.”
After dinner that evening, Dad opened his Bible and handed it to Mara. “Why don’t you read a few verses from Proverbs for us?”
“Okay.” Mara took the Bible and began to read. When she finished, she looked up. “Verse twenty-five sounds like good advice for gymnastics,” she said. “I need to look straight ahead and keep my eyes from wandering. Every time I lose my focus, I lose my balance.”
Mom nodded. “I have trouble with that too.”
“You do?” asked Mara. “Do you get up on the beam and practice when I’m not around?”
Mom laughed. “No,” she said, “but I have trouble in another area. As we go about our day, we should be continually aware of our need for Jesus and having faith in Him. We need to focus on Him instead of other things.”
Mara thought about that. “When I practice for gymnastics, I stare at that picture on the wall,” she said, “but how do we focus on Jesus?”
“Good question,” said Dad. “The passage you just read listed some ways to do that. Do you remember what it said we should do?”
“I know!” said Mara’s little brother. “It said we should pay attention to what God says.”
“And keep it in our hearts and not let it out of our sight,” added Mara.
Dad nodded. “Right. That means knowing what God says in the Bible about putting our faith and trust in Jesus and making Him the foundation for our lives. Focusing our lives on Him will keep us in perfect balance.” – Nance E. Keyes
How about you?
Do you focus on Jesus as you go about your day? Do you remember all He’s done for you and the love and forgiveness you have in Him? Many things need our daily attention, but don’t let them draw you away from what’s really important. Stay focused on Jesus and how He wants you to live, and depend on Him to help you in every area of life.
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