Focused on the Wrong Things

I recently watched a fascinating video about the complexities of the human brain and how selective our attention can be. The presenter gave specific instructions: "Count how many times the team in white passes the ball." Simple enough, right?

The video began, showing players in white uniforms and others in black, all passing basketballs to their teammates. Having seen similar psychological experiments before, I thought I was one step ahead. "Aha!" I mused smugly. "I know this trick. They'll ask about the black team's passes when it's over, trying to catch me unaware."

So rather than counting the white team's passes as instructed, I cleverly (or so I thought) tracked the black-clad team instead. I was feeling quite pleased with myself as the video concluded.

Then came the question that knocked me off my high horse: "Did you see the big bear moonwalking across the court?"

I blinked in confusion. "A bear? What bear?"

When they replayed the clip in slow motion, my jaw nearly hit the floor. There, in plain sight, was a person dressed in a full-sized brown bear costume, moonwalking back and forth across the court, even weaving between the players! This giant costumed figure had been perfectly visible throughout most of the clip, yet I'd completely missed it while smugly counting basketball passes.

How embarrassing! But also, how illuminating.

This experience reminded me of something profound about our spiritual lives. We often fail to see God's work around us because we're too focused on other things, sometimes even the wrong things.

In Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus teaches: "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness."

What we focus our attention on literally shapes our reality. When I'm focused on my problems like the pain in my joints, the ministry task that didn't go as planned, or the book deadline looming, I miss seeing the "brown bears" of God's blessings moonwalking through my life.

The Lord may be orchestrating magnificent answers to prayer right before my eyes, but if I'm counting the wrong passes, I'll miss them entirely.

How many times have we overlooked God's provision because we were too busy watching our troubles? How often have we missed divine appointments because our eyes were fixed elsewhere?

Today, I'm challenging us to intentionally shift our focus. Let's count our blessings instead of our burdens. Let's watch for God's hand moving in our lives rather than tallying our disappointments.

Because, dear friend, I suspect there are spiritual "moonwalking bears" all around us, serving as evidence of God's love, grace, and provision that we've been too distracted to notice.

So, keep your eyes open. After all, who wouldn't want to see a moonwalking bear?