I need to get my head examined. (All right… Who said “amen!”?) More on that in a minute. First, a few random stories, all converging at the same point.
Last week I was in Dallas and had a strange and expensive experience. My ear stopped up, and I didn’t know why. I did everything I knew to do, with no clue what was happening in there. But I felt the pressure, couldn’t hear, except in muffled sounds, the whole bit. I had visions of tumors and all kinds of things, so I paid a visit to a local doc-in-a-box to have my head – uh, ear – examined. My head might have been a better investment. Turns out this potentially life-threatening ailment was, you guessed it, ear wax. The solution was for a nurse to squirt high-pressured warm water into it. Now that’s an experience. It took about 5 minutes for her to do that, and two minutes for the doctor to say, “Yep. Looks good.”
This week I had lunch with a couple of businessmen. We were trading some ideas, and got to talking about the need to focus on what we do best. Inevitably that leads to saying “no” to some things, and letting go of other things so that we can put our best energy into what brings about the greatest return, or the greatest good. Reminds me of Dr. Bruce Winston, my teacher at Regent University, who always had to hammer me: “Focus, focus, focus.”
Focus has been defined as “maximum clarity.” I like that. We lose focus when we try to concentrate on too many things at one time. When we lose focus, we lose the ability to see. To hear. To think. We become double-minded (James 1:8) and chronically unstable.
So how do you refocus? In response to the previous blog about calling out the soul, David Rosenthal sent me this reminder about instructing the soul: “My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him” (Psalm 62:5). I gain maximum clarity when I limit the source of my expectations.
Blaise Pascal said that maximum clarity has to do with aligning myself to my first love. “Clarity of mind,” he said, “means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what it loves.” Translation: to clear your head, clear your heart. Then live in pursuit of your passion. Jesus put it this way: “Think about those times of your first love (how different now!) and turn back to me again” (Revelation 2:5, LB).
I am what I think; so are you. But what I think is controlled by what I love. If you’re having a hard time hearing well, thinking well, producing well, focusing well, it’s time to examine your head. It’s time to realign your heart. It’s time to focus (focus, focus!) again.
Power lunch: $41.00.
Warm water squirted in your ear at the doc-in-a-box: $230.00.
Ph.D. from a major Christian university: $50,000.00.
Returning to your first love with an expectant heart and a focused mind: I think you know.
