Some of you think that I’m not very intellectual. Well, today I’m going to shock you. I’m proposing a new theory. It’s called the “Theory of Circular Technology.” (Are you impressed yet?)

Here’s the theory: we have the idea that technology progresses wonderfully as we walk confidently straight ahead into the future, going from ingenious invention to ingenious invention. My theory is that progress isn’t a straight line ahead. It’s really a circle. After a certain distance, the further you get from your starting point the closer you get to your starting point.

For instance, we’re thrilled at mp3 technology (or whatever it is today), but watch the progression: vinyl discs played on a phonograph (the phonograph was invented in 1877), we called them records, to bulky eight-track cassettes to smaller cassettes back to compact discs which strangely resembled those old records, only smaller.

But, what about mp3? Well, that reminds me a lot of the radio which was invented in 1894.

(The funny thing is that each one of these inventions gave their buyers just as much joy and wonder as our new gadgets do us. We wonder how they could ever have gotten by with a crackling radio, while people of that time were overjoyed with it).

We changed from an analogue to a digital television system here in France a few years ago. At first the image wasn’t always clear. I found myself moving the television around to different places so that we could capture the picture.

And I flashed back to that ten-year old that I was, standing on the porch of our house out in the country, turning the television antenna as mama would yell out from inside, “A little bit more … more … no, too much! Go back. A little bit more … there! Stop! No, you’ve gone too far.” And the process would start again.

Focus

You know, trying to get that antenna centered in so that the picture comes in perfectly reminds me of my life with God. Sometimes it seems my relationship with Him is out of focus. Oh, I haven’t lost my faith, but I have lost my focus.

No one wants to watch a blurry picture all day long and a blurry relationship (whether with God, my wife, my kids, my boss, my brother-in-Christ, anyone) puts us off.

How do you get that clear focus back in your relationship with God?

Well, let’s let the Holy Spirit be like my mama in our analogy. He tells us when we need to focus. When you hear that voice inside you know you must act. “Focus” is intentional. You do it on purpose. How?

–>Sometimes I have to comfort myself  like a mother quiets a crying child by reminding myself of God’s character and His promises: “I’ve kept my feet on the ground, I’ve cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content.” (Ps. 131:2, The Message)
“But I have calmed and quieted myself…” (NIV)

–>Sometimes, I have to give myself a small kick in the pants and tell myself to do what I know I should (I would often try to persuade mama to send my brother or my sister to turn the antenna. (She was very persuasive, though). David got rough with his soul: “”Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits …” (Ps. 101:1, 2, NIV)

Sounds like David’s soul wasn’t in a praising, blessing mood. But, he commanded it to do what it should. His new focus resulted in one of the most powerful revelations of the nature of God in the whole Bible. Read Psalms 103 if you don’t believe it.

–>Disciplining ourselves to regularly say “thank you” to God also helps us see Him.

There are a lot of ways to get your focus back. If your vision of God is a bit blurry recently, why don’t you go aside and concentrate on seeing Him again?

Now, in a good article I would circle around and remake a point that I made in the beginning. It looks like instead of circling with this article I’ve been wandering, doesn’t it? Well, so much for my theory.

What do you do to regain focus with the Lord when things get a bit blurry spiritually?

Hmmm …
“Prayer is the difference between the best you can do and the best God can do.” Mark Batterson

Smile …
“The person who doesn’t know where his next dollar is coming from usually doesn’t know where his last dollar went.” ~ Unknown

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