"What Are You Lookin' At?" (a post about the power of focus)

I'm learning photography online.  For $25 a month, I get unlimited access to lynda.com's library of professional, practical video tutorials.

One class I've watched is about exposure, or getting the light right in a photograph.  As part of the class, the instructor, Ben Long, talks about focal points.  Here it is:

Make a "thumbs up" with your hand.  Now hold your hand at arm's length in front of you so that it is covering a piece of paper or a computer screen with text.  Focus your eyes on your thumb so that it is clear in your vision, and then try to read the text around it while keeping your thumb in focus.  

You can't read anything, right?

Ben Long's point was that, out of everything your eyes can see at any one time, about 99% of that is out of focus, and only 1% is in focus.  

Ben Long was making a point about photography, but it got me thinking about life.  

I follow the teachings of the Bible, and there's a cluster of verses in the book of Hebrews that talk about the power of what we look at.  

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

-Hebrews 12:1-3 (emphasis added)

As an actor, I am fascinated by the way the performing arts can get behind the masks we all wear and the games we all play.  They often act as a laser beam, focusing on the problems of humanity, zeroing in on what is corrupt in all of us.  

I've spent a lot of time trying to do the same thing.  I have stared at the flaws, analyzed and overanalyzed, trying to come up with the answers to make my life right or the world a better place.  I've looked at a. the problems, and b. myself, to make them better.

But if I focus only on the problems and on myself, I eventually have to admit that I can't fix the world, let alone me.

Enter Ben Long's rule of thumb.

Theory: If I can only focus on 1% of what I physically see at a time, then maybe that's how it works spiritually, too.  

What if I stop fixating on problems and on myself, and start focusing on Jesus?  According to the Bible, He's the answer I need.

What does it mean to "focus on Jesus"?

An example: I wake up at 4:00am for work, stumble into the bathroom and look at my scrunched up face in the mirror.  As I focus on my subpar reflection, I zero in on my flaws in order to figure out how I can make myself presentable and lovable and acceptable for the day.   But somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that makeup and earrings aren't going to fill my real desire to be beautiful.  I cannot solve my own problem, but all I'm looking at is me and the problem, so I'm caught in a downward twist.

Then I catch myself.  I stop and redirect my thoughts.  I look back at my face in the mirror and think, "This is the face of one of God's creations.  Out of nothing, he decided to make me.  I am His piece of art.  Because Jesus died a bloody death for me, he's rescued me, and He calls me beautiful.  He delights in me.  He is big and mighty to save." 

When I am focusing on Jesus like my thumb, the other 99% of my life starts to fuzz out of focus.  I start to feel alive instead of dead, I start to have power to freely do good (not because it's my job to save the world, but because I love being part of what God is doing), and life becomes simpler.

When I'm looking at God, the world doesn't seem so big after all.  And when He is looking at me, I get to be the delightfully small child that I actually am, curled up in his gigantic, loving hand.



So, what are you looking at?