Acne Is Not Cool
When I finally got the courage to speak to a close and honest friend about my skin, I was shocked at her response.
Reference: v.30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” (TNIV Bible)
Explore: Last year, for some unknown reason, I had a bad dose of acne. Now acne is not cool when you’re a teenager and, let me assure you, it doesn’t get any cooler when you’re in your thirties!
Whenever I looked in the mirror all I could see were the pimples on my face. I felt like they were enormous volcanoes protruding from my face for everyone to notice.
I tried to cover them up with make up, and yet, they never totally disappeared. I wondered what people would think of me with such obvious blemishes.
When I finally got the courage to speak to a close and honest friend about my skin, I was shocked at her response. She said she’d never noticed the pimples and was surprised that I would be so worried about them.
Application: Sometimes we can get so focused on something insignificant that it blinds us from everything else.
I was so blinded by my acne that I couldn’t see how others really perceived me. But I’m not alone. We can all get focused on the wrong things at times.
Some people get so focused on their work that they forget about the importance of their family; some people get so focused on buying a special item that they forget about their future budgeting; some people get so focused on a new relationship that they forget about old friends.
When Peter stepped out of the boat to walk on water with Jesus he started out well. He looked to Jesus and trusted Him. However, he then focused on something less important.
As soon as Peter focused his attention on the wind, he forgot about his trust in Jesus and started to sink.
When we take a step out in faith there will be other things that come our way to distract us. The best thing that we can do is to stay focused on the right thing and put our trust completely in Christ.
Prayer: Lord, there always seems to be things to distract us. Just as the wind was a concern for Peter, concerns creep into our lives too. Help us to stay focused on You and not allow the distraction to take over. Amen.
What do you find is a common distraction in your life?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.
1 comment:
Wonderful post, thank you for sharing! I recently faced a situation that made me lose focus. Thank you for the reminder to “stay focused on the right thing and put our trust completely in Christ.”