Regaining focus

Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time. (Ecclesiastes 7:3-4)

A wise person thinks - those words popped out at me as I read through this passage today. A fool thinks, too. He may not think well, but he thinks! Focus does determine outcome in so many ways, does it not? We can ponder something so much, allowing it to consume our minds over and over again, until it actually forms the course that we take in life. If we ponder the better things, our course is more certain and brings meaning into our lives. If we ponder things unwise for us to pursue, our course may just be a little bumpier than we had hoped.

Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. Ponder that one for just a few moments today. Sorrow actually 'refines' something within us. Whenever I have encountered something that brought sorrow into my life, it did cause me to take more than a few moments to focus upon that which caused such pain. If it was a sinful action, it not only caused me concern and pain, that sorrow caused me to reexamine my path. How about you? Have you encountered 'sorrow' at the end of a journey you knew better than to have taken, only to find yourself 'pondering' that path? If so, that sorrow was meant to bring you closer to God, not to drive you further away!

Having our way sometimes leads us astray. We want what we should not have. We think upon it way too much, until those thoughts actually begin to 'guide our steps' into sin's path. Remember this: "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." (Psalm 37:23-24) Our steps should be guided by the Lord, but our focus was not steadily upon him. Focus determines outcome - the more we ponder the ways of the Lord, the more likely we are to experience joy and not sorrow!

Sorrow does its work when it drives us back into the arms of Jesus. Sorrow may not have been the outcome Jesus wanted for us, but when we choose to focus on the wrong stuff, following the folly of a fool, we might just need a little 'refining' in the fire in order to realize we need to regain our focus on Jesus. Just sayin!