when we lose focus

Today in A Year with the Church Fathers, St Augustine talks to us about not trying to do too much at once. And I really needed to hear it.

He said that we can't ALWAYS be feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, burying the dead... and all of the other acts of mercy. We can't do ALL of them ALL of the time. There are only so many hours in the day. We only have so much energy. We need focus.

Like many Americans, I find myself being too busy. I have so many things that I do every day, and even though they're good things, sometimes there are too many of them. And there is part of me that wants to keep adding more.

God wants us to find what He is calling us to today. And focus on that. Not spread ourselves so thin that we're not any good to anyone, including ourselves. We need to find what He wants TODAY, and spend our time and energy and resources on that, letting some of the other things go. Not feeling that pedantic, scrupulous need to do everything all of the time.

God, please help us to find focus on what You want us to do each day.