The Right Focus

Dinner was finished, and Liam was just thinking about teasing his sister when she interrupted his plan. "Why did you have to stay in during recess today?" Naomi asked him. "I heard you and a bunch of other kids got caught cheating on a test."Liam swallowed hard, and it suddenly became very quiet in the kitchen. Only Nala, their dog, had anything to say as she yipped for a handout. "Nala, quiet." Dad said. Nala sat down immediately and waited."It wasn't a big deal," muttered Liam, but the look on Dad's face said otherwise. Liam sighed. "Chandler found the answer key and passed it around, and I kept thinking about honor roll, so…well, I snuck a look."Dad cut a scrap of meat and showed it to Nala. The dog licked her lips hungrily. "Nala, stay," Dad said firmly, then placed the meat on the floor in front of the dog. Nala thumped her tail excitedly, but she stayed where she was. "Liam, do you have any idea why Nala is able to resist the temptation to take the meat?" Liam grinned. "She probably knows Naomi helped make dinner tonight, and…ow!" His sister's elbow had made a direct hit to his ribs."Look at Nala's eyes," Dad said. "She's looking at me, right?" Liam nodded. "If Nala kept staring at the meat, she'd never be able to resist it," Dad explained. "Instead, she's focusing on her master." He turned toward Liam. "Whenever you're tempted, who should you focus on?""Jesus," Liam replied. "I know that, Dad. But it's so hard!""You're right. It's not easy," said Dad. "But God gives us the ability to do it. Because we trust in Jesus, He has set us free from sin and gives us power over temptation--and when we do sin, He offers us forgiveness. When we're tempted to do wrong things, it's important to direct our thoughts back toward Jesus and trust Him for the power to resist.""I was definitely more focused on my grades than I was on Jesus," Liam admitted.Dad picked up the scrap of meat and tossed it into the air. Nala caught and swallowed it, barely taking time to chew. She sat down and licked her lips again. It had been worth the wait. - A. J. Schut