If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth

Colossians 3:1-2

Last night, we spent the evening with a couple of friends we’ve known for more than twenty years. As we shared some stories about life, one of our friends mentioned the problem listed in the verses above. She commented that she finds herself conflicted with a particular need in her family the desire to “seek the things that are above.”

It is all too easy to be distracted by what is happening in our day-to-day lives, isn’t it?

This passage was read during the New Year’s day service at church today, and I think The Message paraphrase provides an interesting interpretation we can use to apply to our lives as we begin 2023.

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Colossains 3:1-2 (The Message)

The beginning of the year is a good time to take a personal inventory. Am I so absorbed with the things right in front of me that I am missing the big picture from God’s perspective?