Focus as a Discipline

Focus is one of the hardest things to do. But once you make it a habit things tend to be easier to see. Have you noticed when you are shopping for a car and you decide on a brand or model that you are considering? All of the sudden, you can instantly pick out that brand on any street and freeway you travel on from the hundreds of thousands of cars that you see. Why? It’s primarily due to focus.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesians, said “I ask – ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory – to make you intelligent, discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of his glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him – endless energy, boundless strength!”

The big question we are working on at Buckner is this: how do we focus a multi-service agency on the one thing that we do best? How do we keep our eyes fixed on our kingdom assignment? The best business leaders I have known have helped me to learn how to stay focused on my assignment and on the mission of the organization I lead.

Diffused light serves a good purpose. Focused light can be shaped into a laser that will cut steel and do intricate surgery on the human body. There is much power in the discipline of focus.

This week I will be talking about the power of focus for Buckner, its staff, and the children we serve. I have asked Kenton Keller, Chief Strategic Initiative Officer of BCFS to write on the subject of strategic focus on our core competencies. He will write on that subject on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Then on Thursday I plan to write on how Buckner staff can focus themselves for personal and professional excellence and high output for the mission we serve.

Like Paul, I am asking that the Lord make us intelligent, discerning in knowing him, and giving us the kind of focus that causes us to be at the center of his redemptive activity in history. When we find focus on our assignment we also find endless energy and boundless strength for the task.

What are you focused on today, this week, this month, this year?