The Fog

...for me, it tends to follow "the bomb." After I had written about my grandmother the other day, I was surprised to see that my friend MommyZabs had just written about what she called "the bomb." It was exactly what I needed to hear. She starts off by writing:

We have all experienced them. Those moments where the bomb goes off in your life. When you are standing there living out normalcy and suddenly an explosion goes off that you never expected and your world is rocked.

And then goes on to talk about what do we do at that moment. I was sitting in Church later that morning thinking about "the fog." For me, that is what I feel like when I am in the midst of some type of crisis or tragedy. It is that point where everything seems really fuzzy. It is a confusion and deep sadness that clouds my thinking. In those moments I feel uncertainty and a heaviness. It reminds of of looking through the eyepiece on my camera and trying to focus the lens...but for some reason I can't seem to get it to focus on a single focal point. I can't see clearly what I am looking at...but I am trying so hard. There must be some type of obstacle or distraction that is making it hard to focus. Sometimes I need to change my vantage point.

In these hard situations if I lose sight of Christ and eternity, I am doomed. He is hope. He is my target, my focal point. He provides clarity and He lightens my load. He allows me to move forward and carry on everyday tasks that can seem overwhelming and impossible when I am in the fog.

When a pilot is flying in a storm, they often can't see anything from the cockpit. If they didn't trust their equipment and their air traffic controllers, they would panic and be in complete confusion. We also need to trust God when we are in our storms. He can already see what lies ahead and he promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us...nor will He give us more than we can handle.

So focus on this:

John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that whosoever believes in Him should have everlasting life."

John 16: 33 says "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Hebrews 12:1-3 says "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

These songs have encouraging lyrics as well...and there are countless others.

Praise You in the Storm by Casting Crowns
Bring the Rain by MercyMe
I Will Lift by Eyes by Bebo Norman
I Still Believe in Your Faithfulness by Jeremy Camp

If you have a verse or song you would like to share, let me know.

Thanks for reading. I will pray for you along with myself that we can keep your focus on Him.