Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Doing It Anyway

Is anyone else having trouble getting things done lately?*

We have lots of excuses, don’t we? Covid-19, political unrest, stressful family situations, gloomy winter weather, and a mountain of other obligations and distractions can get us down and keep us from accomplishing much of anything.

And then we can add the guilt that washes over us after we’ve snacked all day long and wasted way too much time scrolling through Facebook and watching YouTube videos. (Or so I’ve heard…from a friend.)

Truth is, I almost went to bed without writing this tonight. (I feel like I’ve written that before.) The easiest thing to do is go with our feelings, doing (or not doing) whatever sounds good to us (or doesn’t).

But that’s not what’s best for us. Living that way too often could lead to an undisciplined, lazy attitude that won’t help others and won’t get us where God wants us to go.

So I sat down and started writing. Maybe this week it’s just for me, writing to prove to myself that I can do something even if I don’t really feel like it.

Or maybe it’s for you, friends. Maybe you need someone to remind you that it’s good to do something you planned to do, even when everything inside you says “what’s the use?”

Get up! Do something! (I’m yelling at myself, not any of you.)

We can always go back to the ice cream and the scrolling later, but maybe we’ll feel a little better knowing we did something for a while.

As we push ahead and do things anyway, we’ll gain momentum and see progress toward our goals. We’ll also feel a sense of accomplishment that will help us keep going even when life is difficult.

That’s better than any tasty snack or funny cat video, don’t you think?

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9 NIV)

Are you good at doing things even when you don’t feel like it? Do you get weary and avoid doing what you planned to do? How can focusing on God help you to do things anyway?

*Keep in mind that sometimes a lack of interest in doing things you normally enjoy can be a sign of depression. Talk to your doctor if you go through more than two weeks of feeling down and unable to function well.