Paying Attention
By Jerry Ousley
Have you ever wondered where the phrase came from: Paying
attention? Of course "paying" means we've had to fork over
something in exchange for whatever it is we're paying for and
"attention" means that we are focused on something. So I suppose
the phrase means that we are giving something in exchange for
attention or something like that.
I had an experience recently that brought this phrase home to me
in a way that I won't soon forget. I guess I tell too many
things on myself and some of you who hear this will think I'm
pretty well off my rocker; maybe I am. I was headed to Seymour
the other day (that's a town about twenty miles from where I
live) and had to stop to get gas. There's a station in the town
of Crothersville, about five miles north of Austin, where I like
to get my gas. I suppose we've all got our preferences but
somehow it just seems to get better mileage and last longer than
some of the other places. As long as it isn't more than a penny
or two higher I'll stop there. Anyway, I pulled up to the pumps,
inserted my debit card and waited for approval. When the digital
readout told me to lift the lever and begin pumping I obediently
followed the instructions.
About five dollars worth had been rang up on the pump when I
realized that I had not lifted the lever for the regular which
was $3.06 but had mistakenly lifted the lever from the other end
and was pumping in liquid gold at $3.26! My little Neon doesn't
need that rich stuff but I was already committed and so I
finished filling the tank. I pretended like I had made this
mistake intentionally, but folks let me assure you that it isn't
my standard practice to buy the most expensive fuel out there. I
remember when you could get the premium stuff (then called
"Ethel") for only $.35 per gallon and even then I saved the
extra five cents and stuck with regular. I do have to admit that
my little Neon ran like she had just eaten filet mignon instead
of hamburger but I don't want her to get used to that stuff.
The fact of the matter is, had I been paying attention I
wouldn't have been paying for the premium I had just pumped into
my tank. That let me know real quick what it means to "pay
attention." If we don't pay attention then we pay for not paying
attention. Get it?
Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." The "You" in
the verse is referring to God, so in essence the verse is
telling us "God will keep those who are paying attention to Him
in perfect peace because they trust in Him." Paying attention to
God requires us to pray, worship, and know what He is telling us
in His Word. Reading between the lines we can also find that as
we pay attention to Him we aren't concentrating on other things
so we'll be more apt to do what He's telling us so we don't fall
into traps that we will regret later. It keeps us from
committing sin, making wrong choices, and doing things we later
wish we hadn't. I'd say that's a pretty good formula to keep us
in perfect peace even when it seems the world is falling apart
around us. We can be sure we're in His will because we trust
Him. It may or may not keep us from doing stupid things like
pumping the wrong gas but it will keep us in tune with the
Master.
Jerry D. Ousley is the Author of three books, "Soul Challenge",
"Soul Journey" and "Ordeal." Listen to our daily broadcast
Spirit Bread. Find out more by visiting www.spiritbread.com
or email us at jousley@spiritbread.com
