Focus

By Cindy Williams

Maybe you can write with a messy house but I can’t! I sit at my computer trying to focus on my characters but the thought of those dirty dishes in the sink or those unmade beds niggles at me, eroding my concentration. Maybe you are fine with unattended housework; maybe it’s the argument you had with a family member, an upset child or a misunderstanding with a friend.

Having read an article in my son’s school newsletter last week, I now know why that dirty floor disrupts my focus. Based on the book ‘Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence’ by Daniel Coleman (also author of ‘Emotional Intelligence’) the article explained that we have two semi-independent mental systems in the brain: the ‘Bottom-up’ mind and the ‘Top-down’ mind.

The ‘Bottom-up’ mind is the sub-cortex of our lower brain. It controls our habits, routines, intuition and impulses. It automatically runs without us having to think about it. It tells me that my house needs cleaning! No wonder artists escape to places where they can allow their creativity to flow without the interruption of daily duties.

The ‘Top-down’ mind is the neo-cortex of the upper brain. It is the seat of self control, effort, planning and new learning. This is what I need to use when I am writing but that stronger ‘Bottom-up’ mind tries its best to interrupt.

To focus, and use our ‘Top-down’ mind, we need to do three things:

1. Close down sensory distractions around us e.g. turn off the Wi-Fi and turn the phone to silent.
2. Minimise the amount we focus on. The top down system can only hold about five pieces of information at once. Multi-tasking saps attention resulting in shallow rather than deep learning.
3. Close down emotional distracters within us. We have to tame the ‘Bottom-up’ system. When we try to consciously focus, for example, on writing, our emotional anxieties and uncomfortable, unresolved relationships fight for our attention.

Two types of people are better at focusing: those who can box off their emotions and those who are secure and at peace in their relationships.

And when we need a break from focusing, we can switch off with walking, a relaxing creative pursuit or meeting with a friend - all positive ‘Bottom-up’ thinking activities. Isn’t God great how he designed our brains? Now I know the physiology behind why a walk so relaxes and inspires me, and why 'a heart at peace gives life to the body' - and to the creative part of our brain!

About Cindy Williams

As a child growing up in a culturally rich part of New Zealand Cindy enjoyed writing, not copious screeds, but short intense pieces that brought tears to her eyes and made people think.

Then she became a dietitian – all science and seriously researched facts. She has a Master of Public Health and a Graduate Diploma in Communication and spent many years as a corporate nutrition consultant encouraging and inspiring people to live a healthy life.

She writes a nutrition blog – www.nutritionchic.com - and was short listed for the 2016 Caleb Prize for her debut novel The Pounamu Prophecy.

Cindy lives in Sydney with her husband and teenage son.

my pen puts my tongue in print

The psalmist likened his tongue to the pen of a ready writer, and interesting comparison. I would like to take the liberty of rearranging that thought. For, when I write, and maybe you think this also, my pen become the tongue of a focused writer.

Now that can be dangerous or it can be exciting. Depending upon what is motivating the tongue the words and story written will resemble a fire. It could be words that warm and melt a frozen heart or wild, uncontrolled expressions which leaves the mind in ashes. In comparing the pen and the tongue and the results which can be produced I turn to the Biblical book of James. In chapter three he takes us through many aspects of the tongue which are negative and nasty. I wonder what roused him to write in such a manner as a warning to us all. I do wish he had also said some nice and noble things the tongue can utter.  As writers our words are coloured by what has invaded our hearts, stirred our emotions, affected our relationships or impacted our belief system. Whatever our genre and however we tell our story our pen becomes the tongue which reveals the passions and the purposes driving us to write.

James’ description of the tongue can be applied to some unpleasant and unfortunate things I’ve read. This can apply from graffiti to gory and ghastly volumes. But for us as Christian writers our tongue has been given the ‘soap and water’ treatment. Actually, that was applied to our heart and mind (1 Corinthians 6:11) and our tongue as a pen reveals the transformation. Moses had some strong words to say and record. We can read what his tongue said because his pen expressed it. However in Deuteronomy32:1-3 is an eloquent use of the pen. “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distil as the dew, as raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. For I proclaim the name of the Lord:”

There are times when the tongue of the pen has to say strong words, harsh and confronting words. However, there is no poison being injected. Paul challenges us with ‘let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one’ (Colossians 4:6). Proverbs has a lot to say about the tongue in a favourable way. When our readers put down our writing or story through all its twists and turns, struggles and sorrows surely they will long to feel something similar to what Proverbs mentions. ‘It has been choice silver’ (10:20) It reveals the tongue of the wise promoting health (12:18) and it produces a ‘tree of life’ (15:4). Truly, death and life are present in the tongue of the pen (18:21) and as writers we are charged with revealing the One who is ‘The Life!’

May the pen speak to the reader that which our heart would long to share with their ears from our tongue. The psalmist put it very well for us writers in psalm 19:14:’Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart [which I’ve put to paper] be acceptable in your sight.’

©Ray Hawkins March 2017.

DEVOTION: Changing Focus ~ by Shirley Corder

God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals--all kinds." And there it was: wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.

God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."

God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. . . . And there it was. God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning-- Day Six. (Excerpts from Genesis1:24-32 The Message)

At the second meeting of a newly formed camera club, the lecturer taught us some techniques concerning our choice of subjects. He projected various photographs onto the wall, and explained what made them great pictures, or where their weaknesses lay. Each time, he emphasized the need for a focal point. There was no such thing as just a beautiful view. There was always a main focus, perhaps a beautiful rose, a sunset, or a ship.

He showed us a picture of a beautiful garden. Flowering shrubs and shaped hedges surrounded manicured lawns. Overhead, the sky was an azure blue with wisps of soft white cloud—a stunning photograph. High up in the sky, an eagle hovered. 

"Where is the focus of this picture?" he asked us. Obviously, the photographer had intended to take a photo of the beautiful gardens. It is likely that he spotted the eagle and planned to include him in the picture.

"Notice something interesting," the speaker continued. "See how your eyes are drawn to the eagle. You look at the gardens. Then you glance back at the bird." He explained how any animal or bird in a picture always dominates the picture, no matter how small it may be.

"Now look at this," he said. He put up a photograph showing two majestic mountains, one on the right and the other on the left. High in the brilliant blue African sky an eagle or vulture hovered, too small to identify. But the bird wasn't the focus. Where the mountains came together to form a V, a young woman stood, arms stretched upwards. She was small, but immediately we all reacted. "The woman is the focus." 

The lecturer smiled, then explained that where life, as in animals or birds, dominate a photograph, when a human being appears, he or she is always the main focus of the picture.

Don't you find that fascinating? When God created the world, He created a magnificent backdrop of mountains, seas, deserts, waterfalls, sandy beaches, mighty rivers and dramatic jungles. And He said "They're good!" Then He created us—men and women—and He said, "They're very good!" Suddenly mankind was the focus of God's entire picture of creation.

I challenge you to ask yourself the question. "What is the true focus of my life?" In other words, "What do I want people's eyes to be drawn to in my life?"

Will it be good? Or will it be very good? Remember, God's focus is the people that He created. 

God is not looking at how clever you are. He's not counting how many books you've had published, or how much time you spend working for Him. He's looking at you—the pride and joy of His creation. 

Prayer: Lord God, it astounds me that with all the beauty and magnificence of your creation, your real focus is on me. Help me to bring honour to your Name, that when people look at me they say, "God is good—He's very good."

Sign up here to receive a short devotional message from Shirley in your inbox once a week.

 SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband, Rob. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on her time in the cancer valley.

Please visit her at ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at  RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook. 

DEVOTION: A New Focus - by Shirley Corder

God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals--all kinds." And there it was: wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.


God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." 


God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. . . . And there it was. God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning-- Day Six. (Excerpts from Genesis1:24-32 The Message)

I recently joined a newly formed camera club. At the second meeting, the lecturer taught us some techniques concerning our choice of subjects. He projected various photographs onto the wall, and explained what made them great pictures, or where their weaknesses lay. Each time, he emphasized the need for a focal point. There was no such thing as just a beautiful view. There was always a main focus, perhaps a beautiful rose, a sunset, or a ship.

He showed us a picture of a beautiful garden. Flowering shrubs and shaped hedges surrounded manicured lawns. Overhead, the sky was an azure blue with wisps of soft white cloud—a stunning photograph. High up in the sky, an eagle hovered.

"Where is the focus of this picture?" he asked us. Obviously, the photographer had intended to take a photo of the beautiful gardens. It is likely that he spotted the eagle and planned to include him in the picture.

"Notice something interesting," the speaker continued. "See how your eyes are drawn to the eagle. You look at the gardens. Then you glance back at the bird." He explained how any animal or bird in a picture always dominates the picture, no matter how small it may be.

"Now look at this," he continued. He put up a photograph showing two majestic mountains, one on the right and the other on the left. High in the brilliant blue African sky an eagle or vulture hovered, too small to identify. But the bird wasn't the focus.

Where the mountains came together to form a V, a young woman stood, arms stretched upwards. She was small, but immediately we all reacted. "The woman is the focus." The lecturer smiled, then explained that where life, as in animals or birds, dominate a photograph, when a human being appears, he or she is always the main focus of the picture.

Don't you find that fascinating? When God created the world, He created a magnificent backdrop of mountains, seas, deserts, waterfalls, sandy beaches, mighty rivers and dramatic jungles. And He said "They're good!" Then He created us—men and women—and He said, "They're very good!" Suddenly mankind was the focus of God's entire picture of creation.

As we move toward the end of 2011, I challenge you to ask yourself the question. "What has been my true focus this year?" Then ask, "What will people's eyes be drawn to in my life in 2012?"

Will it be good? Or will it be very good? Remember, God's focus is the people that He created. What will our focus be this coming year? How will we use our lives to bring blessing to His people?

God is not looking at how clever you are. He's not counting how many books you've had published, or how much you've spent on Christmas presents. He's looking at you—the pride and joy of His creation. As the year draws to a close, will He smile with pleasure and say, "That's my child."

Prayer: Lord God, it astounds me that with all the beauty and magnificence of your creation, your real focus is on me. Help me to bring honour to your Name, that when people look at me they say, "God is good—He's very good."


SHIRLEY CORDER lives in South Africa with her husband, a hyperactive budgie called Sparky, and an ever expanding family of tropical fish. She is contributing author to nine books to date and hundreds of her inspirational and life-enrichment articles have been published internationally. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer is due for release in the USA in 2012. You can contact Shirley through her writing website, her Rise and Soar cancer site, or follow her on Twitter.