Good morning! One thing that I have always thought was extremely interesting, was how when you think about buying a specific kind of car, you tend to see them on the road everywhere you go! This has happened every time we have purchased a car – you go for years without noticing the vehicle, then when you go to actually buy one for yourself, they are everywhere!
This has me thinking about this concept in general. Before Josh began playing Little League, I had no idea how many different types of bats there were and the ridiculous price that people would spend on them. Now that he is getting a little older and he is more serious, we invested in a better bat for him (because according to the Baseball Bat Bros, there IS a difference). Now that we have done some research, it has opened our eyes to recognize the different bats that his teammates and opponents use: we now recognize the Hype Fire, the Cat X2, the Victus Pencil Bat, etc… more than we ever did before.
When I used to work on the cable lines every day, you would develop this awareness that had you looking at cable lines everywhere you went, even when you weren’t looking. Now that I work in an office, I find myself not really paying too much attention to the lines as I’m driving around anymore. It’s funny how this happens but I think it tells the story that we will pay attention to things that we are focusing on.
There is actually a term for this – it’s called ‘frequency illusion.’
Frequency Illusion is a ‘cognitive bias in which a person notices a specific concept, word, or product more frequently after recently becoming aware of it.
Wikipedia
Now that we know what this is, let’s think about this in a different sense. Why is it that sometimes we can clearly see that God is moving in our lives, and other times we think He has forgotten us? I would argue that it depends on how closely we are walking with Him. According to this idea of frequency illusion, when our focus is on God and the truth in His Word, we will recognize when God moves in our lives. On the other hand, if we are not connecting with God each day, our focus will be on other things and those things will monopolize our attention.
The thing that I find most interesting is that I don’t notice the car because there are more of them than ever before, it’s just that I am paying attention now. The car didn’t change, I did. This same principle applies to the steadfast consistency of our God – He is always there (and always has been), but we are more aware when our hearts are focused on Him!
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13
This seems so simple, yet often times we get so distracted. How would it change the way we lived if we would only seek God with all of our hearts – our thoughts, emotions, moral character, intellect, and will.
Since beginning to write these short devotionals each day, my mind has stayed locked on what God is doing in me, through me, and around me. I have been obedient to what God has called me to do in this season and it has caused me to grow in my awareness of Him!
This is my prayer for each person who takes the time to read these devotionals, that you would become more aware of the Presence of God and what He wants to do in you, through you, and around you!
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your constant Presence in our lives! Help us to spend time with You each day so that our focus remains on You! Help us to recognize what You are wanting to do in us and through us to make a positive (eternal) impact on the world around us! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 