Focus

It always amazes me how much what we focus on determines how we feel. For instance, since getting home from Indonesia we have been swamped with a to-do list that feels miles long. Trying to prioritize the list and get the most important things done first seems impossible because they are all equally important. Does anyone else ever struggle with this? If I just dwell on how much there is to do I get overwhelmed and then stressed out. However, if I put my focus on simply getting one thing done at a time and keep things in perspective then I have peace and can have joy in the midst of all my tasks.
 
So in this blog I want to focus on a few things that are worth celebrating…
 
We want to celebrate with our friend. We met her at the Rock, she is one of our english students and is currently studying in University. While we were gone in Indonesia she found forgiveness, love, purpose and eternal life. After much seeking for truth she encountered Jesus. Ben met her yesterday and she was glowing with joy as she told him.
 
Another reason for celebration: my mom is coming to Taiwan! She booked her tickets yesterday and she will be arriving on Mother’s Day. My mom is one of my closest friends and I am so excited for her to see what life is like for us here in Taiwan. Hopefully this little baby will stay inside me until the due date of May 17th so that she can be here for that too.
 
There are many things in my life and in the lives of others that I could write about, but instead I leave you with a thought that has challenged me many times from a man named Chuck Swindoll:
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude …  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitude."  – Chuck Swindoll