Recently, I was reminded of an important fact of life: we find a lot more of something when we’re looking for it!
Some time ago, I began periodically fasting. And on one of my fasting days, I was shocked to find I was already hungry by 9 in the morning. Now, what’s surprising about that is that I rarely eat breakfast, whether I’m fasting or not. And I often eat lunch simply because it’s lunchtime rather than because I’m hungry. So for me to be hungry so early in the morning…well, it’s unheard of!
Clearly, the only reason I was hungry was because I had already chosen not to eat. And for the simple fact that on that day I had chosen to pay closer attention to what I ate and when I ate it (or more accurately, what and when I did not eat), I then became hyper-focused on eating…and on hunger.
In other words, I found a lot more of what I was paying attention to.
I’m sure we’ve all experienced this same effect. For instance, you learn a new word, and suddenly you encounter it everywhere. Or you see a yellow car and actually think to yourself “that’s interesting, yellow cars are pretty rare”, only to find over the next week or so that you now seem to see a yellow car at every intersection!
What’s fascinating here is that in these examples, that new word and those yellow cars didn’t suddenly appear everywhere, they were there all along. The only thing that changed was our attention to them. It’s quite likely that I’m hungry around mid-morning every day, but I usually don’t notice because I’m busy paying attention to other things.
One thing’s certain: you find what you focus on. This can be positive, or extremely negative. Have you ever encountered somebody that can find the stormcloud behind every silver lining? Don’t be that person. If you’re looking for what’s bad in every situation, you will surely find it! And what value is there in that?
So if you’re going to find what you’re looking for anyway, strive to be the person that finds what’s good in everything. And if I can make a suggestion, I recommend that you look for the ultimate good in everything: God. Yes, turn your focus toward God’s presence in your life. With that focus, you will indeed find countless examples of His benevolence, and be amazed!
Are you ready to be amazed by God?