Upward and Outward
Where is my focus? On what am I most focused in life? Who is most central to what I do and how I live? When we examine our own lives, do we honestly see how we live, or do we most often presume our lives are what we want them to be?
Our human tendency is to focus inward; we concentrate on our preferences and desires rather than on that of others around us, we think mostly of how our life can be what we want it to become. This is not something we like to admit, but our humanity and our society lean toward being where we are comfortable being and having what makes life enjoyable and satisfying for us.
However, God requires a different take on life. Instead of focusing inwardly on ourselves, we are to focus upward and outward. In Matthew 22, when asked what the single most important commandment of the Old Testament Law is, Jesus responds with this …
“And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”” (Matthew 22:37–40, ESV)
We often feel God has a list of rules for us as Christians, but all of those descriptions of Christian living are summarized here; they are all part of a picture of loving relationship, first with God, and second with one another. We are to love and serve God with our whole being, committing our relationship and lives to serving and walking with Him. We are to love one another as we love ourselves, to forgive others as we want to be forgiven, to value one another as we want to be valued, to remain available when others are in need just as we hope others will be available to us when we are in need.
How do we focus upwardly and outwardly when we most naturally focus inwardly? What are steps we can take to work at loving God with our whole being and love our neighbours as we naturally do ourselves?
Much of it begins with learning to be determined in prayer. This is not only a first step but one that must pervade all the others. Prayer is learned as we go and is shaped often by our circumstances and activities in life. We pray not to get what we want but to connect with and serve God. We pray upwardly, focusing our minds and hearts on God. We pray outwardly / for others, lifting their needs before God, asking God to provide ways for us to serve them.
A second way to implement an upward and outward perspective in our lives is to work at being in meaningful relationships. This happens at church family and small group levels; we commit to others – to walk through life together, to learn and pray together, to serve alongside each other. These groups of belonging do not always come easily, but it is important we place ourselves amongst others, so we live with an outward perspective.
And a third way to take on an upward and outward perspective is to deliberately serve others. On our local Facebook pages, there are often volunteer opportunities advertised; just recently Connexus advertised for needed Meals on Wheels volunteers and the Manor asked for musicians to play for their residents. Maybe you can serve through Air Cadets, 4H, sports or arts programs, hospice care, support groups, church program, etc. The list of service opportunities is long.
Let us make every effort to live with an upward and outward perspective – to love God and others ahead of ourselves.