The second quality of high-resilience people is knowing what to pay attention to.

In any moment of stress or high activity, our minds can easily get distracted by lots of voices, too many sights, the fear of making a decision, or an intimidating person. It can be hard to focus on the actual issue and decide what to do about that only. Being able to figure out the main thing quickly and address it with clarity is almost a superpower!

The good news is, we can learn this and get better at it. Having this skill will elevate us in any situation.

When Jesus gave the parable of the four soils, he described the thorns of distraction as the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. In 1 John 2:16, we read about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that keep us from discerning God’s word and will.

When Peter was invited by Jesus to step out of the boat onto the water, he was courageous enough to do it, but then faltered and began sinking when he shifted his gaze away from Jesus onto the waves. The storm around him caused him to lose focus on his mission to get to Jesus. Finally, the writer of Hebrews (12:2) tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus!

Focus matters immensely! Discerning the main thing to be addressed is the game-changer.

In any confusing or multi-faceted situation, ask Jesus for clarity. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16, we have the mind of Christ. Use it! He can help us see what needs our attention over everything else in that moment.

If you walk outside to see your child in the street and a large truck coming toward him, it doesn’t matter that there’s a broken bottle on the sidewalk, or a piece of mail that fell out of the mailbox, or that the neighbor’s dog is out. All of those things will need to be addressed at some point, but in that moment, what do you need to pay attention to?

It becomes really clear when we think about it like that. We can have that kind of clarity all the time as we nurture the quality of resilience.