Focus
“Rather than support a life of prayer our society keeps us perpetually distracted and erodes our ability to concentrate, compromises our ability to focus, and all of these things rob us of our ability to be present and in the moment. We’re always somewhere else at some other time thanks to these technologies. How can we not just survive, but even flourish spiritually in the face of these increasingly invasive technologies and distractions?” (Fr. Maximos Constas)
“In many different ways, we have all become experts at ignoring the obvious. In many aspects of our lives, we tend to focus on unimportant matters and pay little attention to what really counts. Likewise, we are inclined to misinterpret our Lord’s teaching in ways that protect our preconceived notions and selfish desires from criticism, even to the point of making us think that we are serving Him when we are doing the exact opposite.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)
“…we can find two reasons for the dullness of the understanding of spiritual things. First, we can refuse to study anything that challenges us and takes work to understand…knowledge cannot be “acquired without effort”…“To keep one’s vision intently fixed on divine things until the will acquires the habit of doing this requires considerable labor over a long period of time”…The mind (intellect) needs training to forego the attractions of the senses. Especially, “supernatural knowledge” requires God’s help to cleanse the mind of all earthly attachments. When the intellect is free of worldly distractions, it can focus on the love of the divine…advancement in understanding requires diligent practice. Another reason for the dullness of mind is the over-familiarity that breeds complacency. It is possible to go from one Christmas to the next without growing in our understanding of the incarnation of the Son of God. In that case, our mind is like a knife that keeps cutting the same thing until it loses its edge. The remedy for this loss of sharpness is not a novelty. Rather, we should pay more attention [in Church] to what is sung, prayed, and proclaimed and probe more deeply into its meaning.” (Fr. Basil, Philokalia)
“When we are tempted, we need to understand that first of all we mustn’t panic, because once we panic, it is as if we lose the ground under our feet. And we mustn’t despair, because desperation is the greatest weapon of the devil. I always think of the example of the Apostle Peter, when there was a thunderstorm and the Disciples saw Jesus as a spirit, and Peter said: “Lord if it’s You, give an order and I will walk on the waves to You,” and Jesus told him to come. So he started walking on the waves. When his focus was on Christ, he walked on the waves. The waves were there, but he was walking on them. When his focus shifted to the waves, he nearly lost his life. Nothing changed other than his focus.” (Bishop Emilianos)
“…to submit to God or to serve God, one has to learn to focus not on one’s self but to focus on God. We resist the devil not by focusing on him nor by looking out for one’s self, but only by focusing on God. Draw near to God, He will draw near to you and He will heal your soul.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“We will become whatever we focus on the most. The Israelites exchanged their glories (their Perfect You as image bearers of God) for the image of the golden calf, and we too can lose ourselves trying to be what we are not called to be (Exod. 32:4; Rom. 1:18–25). We become what we love, so we must learn to love our God by seeing his incredible piece of eternity inside of us.” (Robin Phillips)
“Our culture champions the mind. We think of ourselves as far more brilliant than those who lived in the past and certainly more aware and understanding of the processes and realities of the world around us…we think we’re the smartest people who have ever lived. In point of fact, we have narrowed the focus of our attention and are probably among the least aware human beings to have ever lived. Our narrowed focus is largely confined to two aspects: the critical faculty and emotions. The critical faculty mostly studies for facts, compares, judges, measures, and so forth. Emotions run through the varieties of pleasure and pain, largely pairing with the critical faculty to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. This way of experiencing the world is largely the result of living in a consumerist culture. We not only consume things – we are constantly under a barrage of information geared solely towards consumption. We consume everything. Information is more than information – it is information for the purpose of consumption. Even religious notions are governed by consumption. We “like” or “don’t like” Church. We find it useful, or of no interest. People are even known to “shop” for Churches.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“When certain tangibles like clothes, tools, shelter, transport, and communication become gods in our lives, then we become merely flesh. Our hearts are preoccupied with the material. To recover our God-given nature, it is necessary to first reject this orientation and seek to live the life of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus says plainly: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt 6:24). To be united to the Lord, our focus first and foremost must be on prayer, meditation, worship, and the receiving of the Holy Gifts…People who dedicate their lives to the flesh may well become giants in industry, academia, politics, or the acquisition of wealth, but the Spirit of God withdraws from such persons.” (Dynamis 3/26/2021)
“The size of our heart determines the size of our world. Of course, we speak not of physical size, but of the potential and capacity of our heart to love and to be aware of the needs and conditions of others. Nothing stunts our spiritual growth more than the ignorance and blindness of a small heart, a heart that cannot see or feel beyond the borders of our own home and family. A life lived with a small heart is a life filled with missed opportunities and untapped potential. When we have left painful experiences that are affecting us negatively unresolved in our life, our heart may contract as a result of being too focused on ourselves and on self-preservation. Living in fear and practicing avoidance will deprive us of the opportunity to unlearn our negative beliefs through new, healthy experiences.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)
“If we focus mostly or only on our bodies, we experience a great deal of suffering and sorrow and much of it seems to serve no redeeming purpose. However, when we nurture our inner, spiritual self we come to realize there are hidden meanings and purposes in much of what occurs in our lifetimes. For in all we experience are hidden the meaning and purpose which God has placed in His creation. Just like the Scriptures have hidden meanings which we must take the time to discover or discern, so life too is a mystery and a Scripture through which we can discover God’s will and way.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“Too much activity may shift your focus away from God…I can trace most of the challenges in my life to the times when I began to focus more on trivial distractions rather than on my spiritual life…The best way to focus our life on God is remain conscious of the transitory nature of this earthly existence.” (Life Application Study Bible, Joshua 4:1-24. Father Barnabas Powell, Dynamis 7/12/2018)
"Eternity is too often viewed as that possibility which comes after this life. In fact it should be our goal and our focus, and the life of this world should be seen as the prelude, the experience that comes before. Eternity should be what dominates our thinking and actions." (Father Spyridon Baily)
“The key to living a life free of distractions and filled with clarity, purpose, and focus is the cultivation of gratitude and generosity. A grateful, generous person is a focused person. Gratitude and generosity equal spiritual health.” (Father Barnabas Powell)
“If you want peace, focus on being grateful first and foremost…Being grateful for what you do have is a step towards peace. Focusing on God through prayer brings peace. Losing sight of God brings conflict, so make dedicated time each day to focus on God.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)
“...our primary role as spiritual leaders isn’t making people see eye to eye. It’s making sure our eyes are focused on Jesus… our relationship with Christ is what life is all about. Our relationship with Him is the single most important thing in our lives.” (Mark Batterson, Sacramental Living Ministries)