Keep your eyes on the goal....

Recently annie posted the following quote by Henri Nouwein on EU.

Growing into the Truth We Speak

Can we only speak when we are fully living what we are saying? If all our words had to cover all our actions, we would be doomed to permanent silence! Sometimes we are called to proclaim God's love even when we are not yet fully able to live it. Does that mean we are hypocrites? Only when our own words no longer call us to conversion. Nobody completely lives up to his or her own ideals and visions. But by proclaiming our ideals and visions with great conviction and great humility, we may gradually grow into the truth we speak. As long as we know that our lives always will speak louder than our words, we can trust that our words will remain humble.

Sometimes I do feel a bit...ah...hypocritical...writing about peace and love and acceptance and tolerance when I am so "not there yet" in so many ways.

The other day, Keith told me about a driving tip he heard on the radio.  The gist of it...look at where you want to go.  what you look at....focus on.... is what you will automatically steer toward.  Pass an accident....don't rubberneck the crash scene because if you do, you will automatically steer in that direction.  Making a tight turn? Direct your attention to where you want your vehicle to end up....and not on the car sitting at the intersection....the one you are trying not to hit. 

      

It occurs to me that this is more than just a good driving tip. The principle carries over into our daily lives. Noel Peebles said:

What you choose to focus your mind on is critical because you will become what you think about most of the time.

And Hannah Whitall Smith said:

Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don't want. 

Because what we focus on, we automatically steer toward.

The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart. This you will build your life by, and this you will become James Lane Allen

Didn't the Apostle Paul say the same thing???

Philipians 4:8 ....... whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].