So I missed a post yesterday … for most of you reading this, that's no big deal, and it probably went unnoticed. Yet, if anyone is following this daily, you felt the absence (and hopefully my words were missed!)
The simple truth is that I forgot.
Due to 6 months of chemotherapy 6 years ago, I possess what I call a "swiss cheese brain," which means that, "I remember, I remember, I remember, I forgot." This happens in the span of hours – it's not like normal forgetfulness. 6:00 pm – I need to write my post. 7:00 pm – I know, I will write it on the topic of Beauty. 8:00 pm – when I get home from this meeting, I will write my post, and maybe add the aspect of God Chasing After Us. 9:00 pm – absolutely. I will do this. 10:00 pm – I'll be home in fifteen minutes and then I'll write my post. 10:17 – ….. I brushed my teeth, got in my pj's, watched some Netflix, and woke up this morning realizing that the blog post fell through one of the holes in my brain. Sigh.
But even people without swiss cheese in their noggin struggle with follow-through, and I believe it has to do with FOCUS. About a week ago, the blog stopped being 'new' and 'fun' and 'adventurous' … now it feels a little like work, so my passion for it has tapered off and I'm asking myself – how do these people who do this for YEARS continue through the slow patches?
I think part of the reason the post into the cheesey black hole is that my level of focus has waned. New is charming. New is exciting. New is spontaneous. Let's face it: New can be Seductive. Consistency takes determination, effort, and loads of energy and it isn't all that Sexy.
Now is where the real intentionality begins.
And its the same for you, whether in your marriage, your work relationships, a project you are engaged in, your relationship with God;
Lose your focus, lose your consistency, lose your direction, lose your destination.