Minolta. Canon. Nikon. Pentax. Olympus. These are the names of the top camera manufacturers. Their products have captured the compelling moments of life in stunning high definition photography. Nevertheless, for all their technological genius, these companies have yet to make a camera that doesn’t occasionally take a picture that is out of focus.

When someone takes a picture that comes out blurred, even the amateur photo snapper knows how to fiddle with the camera and make the adjustments in order to take a picture that’s in focus. Turn the knob. Adjust the distance. Push a button. Activate the auto-focus feature. And, voila, the next picture is sharp and clear.

Life can often get out of focus. It becomes blurred very easily. What day is it? I thought the bridal shower was next weekend not this weekend. Are you sure I haven’t had a physical in three years? Susan and I really need to discuss this issue, but it’s been 6 months now.

The knobs that help put life back in focus are not very pleasant. A health scare. A phone call in the middle of the night from your child’s college dorm. You leave the mall and find an empty spot where you had parked your car. An ongoing argument with a contentious person.

Things that aren’t fixed easily, are hard to fix, or can’t be fixed. Focus.

But, let’s focus on what the scriptures tell us about focus. In 1 Corinthians 12:10, the apostle Paul writes, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

He points out that even though these situations in life are stressful and unpleasant in and of themselves, they still bring a benefit to our lives. However when I’m going through these things, it’s hard for me to see that. I guess that’s because I’m viewing things out of focus.

The urgency of the moment and the seriousness of the problem make us feel driven to do something…NOW.  But, as this passage suggests, maybe what we need to do is look beyond ourselves and look past whatever deadline the situation claims to be ultimate, and see a God who has everything under control, and has all power in his hands.

Our strength couldn’t be totally within ourselves, because we know that we can’t respond to the issue in a way that is positive. We can’t fix everything. However, God can. And sometimes the trials of life come to nudge us back towards that reality.

We need to look to the Lord for strength, help, and as our primary resource to respond to life—whether it comes at us in a form that’s good or bad.

Paul concluded that, “when I am weak, then I am strong.” My paraphrase is, “when I am troubled, then I am focused.”
Carl Prude, 2013

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