Can You Stay Focused On God As You Work?

“…On You I wait all the day…The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses!” Psalms 25:5, 17 NKJV

Keeping your focus on God while going through an overwhelming workday just looks impossible and unrealistic. You had a bad commuting experience to work, your boss is breathing down your neck, your colleagues are doing everything else aside from getting work done and the day is going so slowly. Anger everywhere!

It’s a difficult place to be in and I’ve also asked myself many times, “How exactly do I stay connected during all this chaos? Am I to run to the toilet to pray every 3 hours? Should I listen to songs as I work? Should I just keep thinking about scripture all through the day and push thoughts about work aside?”

God wants us to succeed at work. But to do that, He also wants us to be in a state that makes success possible. By now, you must have realised that being tense all through the day just makes you feel worse. Good things may happen to you, but you won’t see them.

Sometimes you can be so overwhelmed that you’ll miss a greeting from a colleague, forget important tasks or even misinterpret a situation. 

It’s interesting to note that scientific evidence suggests that meditating on God’s word increases your sense of meaning and purpose, you feel more grateful and compassionate towards others and your connection to God is strengthened.

So how do we keep our thoughts and emotions grounded as we go through a busy workday?

1. Start your day the right way. This simply means not missing the opportunity to read your bible in the morning. This doesn’t have to be for an extended period. It just helps remind you of what your focus should be for the rest of the day.

2. Find what works for you. I realised that playing gospel music tends to regulate my mood. Whenever I catch some of the song’s lyrics, those few moments of reflection can be effective. Music may not be your thing. But you can play an audio bible in your ears, place a sticker on your PC to remind you of how to feel, change your screen saver, set a prayer reminder, and so on.

3. Don’t forget to go back when distracted. New responsibilities, work gist, or petty fights can come your way throughout the day. You can’t avoid them, but you can intentionally go back to your meditative state. Sometimes, a new project can be so overwhelming that I may not play music for weeks. I can do better.

The bottom line is to do everything you can to take control of your day. You may not be able to control what comes your way, but you can influence how you choose to feel. Staying focused on God is an excellent way to do this. 

Today’s Task: Find what works for you today and note down a strategy you’ll use to do it consistently.

Know someone who allows the day to rule over them? Get them to read this article.