I’ve been to my fair share of retreats and camps.
Back in my younger days, my retreat/camping experiences revolved around organizations like FFA (National Blue and Corn Gold, baby!) Alpha of Clovia Scholarship house, Blue Key and Agricultural Ambassadors. But it didn’t matter what organization I went “retreating” with, “recreation” was always on the schedule.
Recreation could mean a variety of things. Of course, it wasn’t a legit campout unless there was a bonfire big enough to make Smokey the Bear instigate a new public service announcement. Other “recreation” included the classic hide-n-seek in the dark, singing songs around the aforementioned scorch-your-eyebrows-off campfire, and telling “scary” (code for ridiculously predictable) stories.
At one retreat, I was introduced to a new game. Here’s how we played. After dark on a clear night, we would go out to a grassy, open area. Everyone would get in a big circle, then one person would be it. They would go to the center of the circle, pick a star directly above them, point at it with their finger and focus on it as they spun in a circle. Once they spun a certain number of times or for a certain length of time, they would take their focus back to their earthly surroundings and immediately try to walk back to their spot in the circle.
Goal: Don’t fall down.
Few every achieved the goal of making it back to their spot without taking a tumble. Those of us watching in the circle got a great laugh watching how hard they fell or when someone got a mouthful of grass.
Don’t judge us. We were in college. In Kansas. And desperate for entertainment.
This game is a lot like our relationship with God. We start out strong, focusing our eyes upward towards heaven. We have a great time as we move and spin in our daily lives. Then suddenly, we get distracted. Someone or something takes our focus off God and we look away. Once we shift our focus back to our earthy surroundings… Yep, we spin out of control, face plant and get a mouthful of grass.
We have a choice. We are all “playing” this game. When it’s our turn to be “it,” will we keep our eyes focused upwards at all time? Or will we repeatedly turn our focus to earthly things, causing us to fall?
Here’s the best news of all: When we DO get distracted (since we are on this side of heaven, it WILL happen on occasion) God picks us up and puts us back on our feet. He doesn’t laugh when we spin out of control. He gently calls us back to Him, inviting us to get back in the game.
What things in life distract you from focusing your life toward our Heavenly Father? How do you recover when you fall? What steps can you take to reduce the “mouthful of grass” incidents that occur in your life? I always L-O-V-E hearing from you. Leave a comment below.
The sun is going down, folks. The stars are coming out and the game is about to start. Let’s focus on our One Star and allow Him to help us spin INto His Control.
A little dizzy but still upright,
SGK
“We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it. It’s the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts.” ~2 Peter 1:19-20
