REVEALING THE SUBJECT
With the new year comes my traditional cleaning and organizing period. I’ve been busily shredding old papers, cleaning closets, and catching up on things I’ve put off. The last couple of weeks have been dedicated to cleaning out my son’s old bedroom and transforming it into a craft room. Finally! A place to have all my craft supplies neatly organized and easily accessible.
The other night I was in the new craft room, working on a scrapbook. Because I have so many pictures, I try to fit as many as possible on one page without sacrificing aesthetics. So, as I looked at the pictures of my beautiful granddaughter, I had to decide how to trim the photos. When I first started scrapbooking, I was nervous about cutting my pictures. Then I realized that most photos were filled with extraneous images that did nothing to enhance the picture, but actually took away from the subject or focus of the shot. With that realization came a freedom to cut the picture until the image I really wanted became the focus.
Our lives are so much like that. They are filled with so many extra activities, experiences, must-do’s, should-do’s, work and events, that we are spread so thin that the image of our lives becomes distorted. It’s hard to tell what is really important from what looks important, but could really be cut away. We get so busy with life that before we know it, it’s passed us by. None of us are here by chance. God determined when we would be born, to whom and where we would live. (Acts 17:26) He has a specific purpose for each one of us, but if we’re not careful, we might miss it. The busyness of life could distract us and take our focus away from what is most important.
Just like in my pictures, our eyes can be pulled away from the true subject or focus of our lives, to things that detract from our purpose. God has called us to something, and it is up to us to bring that calling into focus by recognizing the things in our lives that either enhance it or detract from it. So, while I’m cleaning out and organizing my home, I’m going to do the same with my life. It’s time to cut away the distractions and bring my life into focus around the true subject – following God and pleasing Him. It won’t be easy, but in the end, the picture of my life will be more beautiful and full of meaning that will outlive the snapshot of time I spend on this earth. So let the trimming begin…
Used with permission from Linda Condolora. To read more of Linda’s writing visit https://blog.lindacondolora.com/.
