Focus
As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.
Read
Genesis 11:27-32 (NRSV)
Now these are the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were two hundred five years; and Terah died in Haran.
Reflect
Genesis 11:31 tells us that Terah, the father of Abram (who later became Abraham), set out with his family to the land of Canaan, the same land to which God would eventually call Abraham. It also tells us that Terah and his family did not make it to their destination. Instead, they settled in Haran, roughly 400 miles from Canaan. What we are not told is why the family stopped short of their destination.
Often in my own life I stop short of my intended destination. I stop and settle in places I never intended to stop and settle. I feel certain I’m not alone in this struggle. Life’s distractions can easily cause us to change our focus from where God wants to take us to where we think we should go.
If we can identify those things in our own lives that cause us to lose focus, we have a better chance of reaching our destination. Fear of failure, perfectionism, inconsistency, and comparing our journey to the journeys of others are just a few things that can derail our train to Canaan. Abraham eventually made it to Canaan, and we can as well, if we allow God to take care of our distractions. It’s a long way to Canaan, but it’s better to travel a long distance with God than to settle for less than God’s destination for our life.
Pray
Lord, thank you for your continued grace and guidance. Remove whatever distractions are competing with the destination you have for my life, and help me to focus solely on your vision. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
Go with God.
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