Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. When God turned on the lights this morning I could see that much has bloomed since this time yesterday and the fields are looking more alive every day. Even the young deer were playing in the fields as if they were as excited as I am about the Spring day. One, in particular, was running back and forth to and from the herd and she was working so hard to get the attention of the others – away from the grazing and off to the fun. Eventually one or two did follow her but it took several minutes and some serious persuading. But there were a few others that found fresh growth on some brush and absolutely nothing could tear them apart from their feast. They were unstoppable. God used the beautiful scenery to drive home a message to my Heart this morning that there will always be some who just want to “play” their way through Life – much more focused on entertainment than growth. But there are some…too few and far between…that will remain focused on New Life and Nourishment above everything else.

It takes work to stay focused especially in the world we live in today. Sometimes the “fun” things come along and there always seems to be someone working hard to persuade us to “lighten up” and “have a little fun”. Although the Bible says that there is “nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be merry” there’s a lot to be said about being “alert” and “on guard” too. Even my furry friends understand that if they take their eye off of the nourishment they’ve discovered, another will rob them of the feast. There will always be someone that will try hard to distract us from our Focus on Nourishment but it’s only through our Nourishment that we’ll have what it takes to endure until The End and to “finish the race” well. There will always be someone there to (attempt to) rob us of our Peace and they seem to work hard to make sure that they do. But nobody can rob us of our Peace…we surrender it (or not) instead. Even my furry friends understand that when they’re feeling threatened by someone or something that wants to rob them of their peace they run away as fast as they can. When God is orchestrating the Heart, we sure can learn a lot by watching a few furry friends from a front porch.

I’m a very focused woman and I’m not inclined to “lighten up” on this side of Heaven. I know how to “eat, drink, and be merry” and I can belly laugh with the best of them. Nobody knows more bad jokes than I do and most people only dream about seeing things I’ve seen or going places I’ve been. BUT when it comes to my Focus…the kind of Focus that keeps me chasing after Jesus…the kind of Focus that keeps me passionate to share what I have with the world…the kind of Focus that will help me “finish the race” and finish it well…I’m Unstoppable AND I’m having the Time of my Life.

How about you?