Shift Our Focus by Barry Hughes



These neighbors obviously go for detail in their art. There is a depiction of the now famous image of the virus. There are very unhappy looking normal cells. There is an admonition to keep smiling and to stay healthy and to stay inside. I appreciate how much is going on in this scene.
But what caught my eye is the depiction, no doubt, of the child’s family; the human figures at the base of the drawing. It is as if the people the drawing represent are more than enough for the challenge. Even drawn in chalk on a sidewalk, they look so calm and at peace. I am struck by how this image of connection “steals the show”. To my eye, it is not the problem of Covid 19 that is the focus of the drawing. Indeed, it is the family.
One thing I’m learning during this time is that it really matters where I put my focus. It REALLY matters. Where is your focus? We all have to deal with the challenge and the fallout from this crisis. But when we look at the busy drawing of our life, do we ONLY see the problems? Or like my little neighbors, can I also see where I will find strength to face the problems? Can I also see what will get me through to the other side?
The writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages us to “look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfect or of our faith, who for the sake of the joy set before him, endured the cross...”
Placing our focus well can get us through all manner of challenge, even this.
Peac

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