Focus



1 Corinthians 7:25-35
25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. 32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

Paul takes a moment to express his own opinion about whether someone already engaged to be married should follow through with that engagement. He is still being a champion for remaining single, if that is possible without falling into temptation. His emphasis throughout this passage is not on marriage, but on focus. The pivot point in the passage comes at the end of verse 35. “. . . to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.”

One of my greatest struggles every day is staying focused. I purposely plan my time so that I have several different things to accomplish because remaning focused on one thing for an extended period of time just isn’t going to happen. My mind wanders like a nomad across the desert. I know what it means to be unfocused. What Paul describes here is the fact that marriage can be a source of distraction. And he’s right. When you have a family, you must give them time and energy. God would have it no other way, for He gave you that family. On the other side of that coin is the need to focus on God and His will and way for you. It may sound in these verses like Paul would have us deny the marriage and give all to God. But the rest of Scriptures don’t support that lifestyle. God created marriage and said that it was very good. So – how do we proceed?

As is so often the case in Christianity, we embrace the tension between two differing objects. It is possible to remain focused on the Lord while serving a spouse and children. Right now my elderly parents consume much of my energy and that is exactly as it should be for I want to honor them as the Commandments tell me to do. Maybe I’m making excuses for my choices, but I believe this is the direction the Scriptures lead me. It isn’t a lack of focus or divided devotion. Instead, it is living the way God’s Redeemed are called to live. Maybe Paul and I wouldn’t agree on this one. I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to discuss it when I get to heaven.

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