Not Going To Lose My Focus by Kathleen McAnear Smith

Not Going To Lose My Focus

Sarasota County, Florida where I used to live, is one of the homes of the American Circus. In our town, as you cross the bridge on to Venice Island you might be a little distracted by seeing a teenager suddenly flip through the air off a trapeze. Right there, on the left as you wait for the drawbridge bar to lift, you can catch a glimpse of a group of high schoolers taking a physical education class in circus skills.

Nik Wallenda is from a long, long line of circus performers who came to America from Europe, and he lives with his family in Sarasota. Sarasota is the main town in Sarasota County and as it’s just up the road from our town, my walking partner (totally feet on the ground for our regular walk around the lake) decided to go and watch Nik prepare for Niagara. I couldn’t bare it. I looked forward to hearing about it on our walk the next day.

“You should have seen it,” said my friend, “Practice was not high up at all. And did you know that Nik is a Christian? His whole family are believers.”

“Lord have mercy,” I prayed to myself when I sat down to watch Nik on the actual day of his walking the high wire over Niagara. The TV crew showed his family and team holding hands and praying. 

I truly questioned God as our local boy began to step up to the platform. 

We were told the tv and radio crew could not speak to him once he was on the wire. 

Only his dad. No one else. We would hear his dad, and no news commentary whatsoever.

We could hear his father say, “Remember your focus point.”

“You know God has called you to this.”

“Jesus is your only real focus. You can do this.” The Name of Jesus went out over every television and radio station in the land. Maybe that was the purpose?

Perhaps it was the continuous words from his father that finally got a message through to my heart. Here was a dad who believed his son was called to show the world an example of total focus in Jesus. While I put my hands over my eyes, I asked God “Do we really need such an extreme example? I see what you’re saying about a narrow way, but isn’t this a little ridiculous?”

I was nearly hiding behind the couch, listening to his dad and hearing the prayer of focus, when finally he reached the other side. 

“You did it son! You kept your focus. God’s got this,” were the words I’ll remember. 

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a news clip on British Breakfast television, and there was some crazy guy setting out to walk a high wire over a volcano. 

“Oh no, “ I said to my husband, “I bet it’s Nik!”

It was.

Father God, help us to use this time when many of us are self-isolating as a gift of time to focus not just on virus updates, but on your purpose for our writing. Keep our focus on trust and not fear. In Jesus’ Name. Amen