Dear reader, I’d like to pick up where I left off.

Last month, I talked about meeting the eyes of fiction. The idea being that fiction should inspire us to seek what really matters. Along with that, I mentioned that life is only a chapter in a much grander story. That being the case, what is actually worth focusing on?

“Hang on, C.R., you’re a writer. What is with all this philosophical stuff? What does it have to do with your books?”

A lot, actually. I often struggle with focus. As a creative, I have a thousand different ideas at any given moment, so it isn’t easy to stay on task. Knowing where to focus is as important for an author as it is for anyone.

That being the case, where should people focus if life is so short? Well, I think my title for this post spoils the answer. Focus is the art of now and forever. The only two places worth giving focus are the present and eternity.

I’ve made no secret that I believe in God, but don’t let my use of the word “eternity” throw you off if you don’t believe in God. He loves you no matter what, but the idea of focusing on forever applies to the unbeliever as much as the believer.

So, back to my point, the Now. When I talk about focusing on now, I mean that as a writer or an individual, we can get overwhelmed by all the noise and worry about what has or will happen to us. This focus on the past and future is usually more distracting than anything. We can’t affect what has happened, only learn from it. As for the future, it can’t affect us in the now, but the here and now is the only place from which we can affect it. So stop looking for worries and answers in tomorrow, and let’s work today.

Don’t fear the ifs of the future or the failures of the past. Today, you can take action and make a difference. You can write that story, you can finish that chapter, you can succeed!

That is the now, but I hear you; “We can’t just ignore the future, it’s important.”

I agree, but that is what Forever is for. When people think of the future, they end up stuck in the near future: “What will happen tomorrow, next week, next year?” But look back for a moment, and let’s learn from the past without getting stuck in it. Your life has not been built in a single day, week, or even a year. Your life is a grander thing, and the reality that surrounds it is even greater.

When you aren’t focusing on your here and now, let’s look at the bigger picture.
For the present is where we make our difference, and eternity is the world our hearts long for.

Maybe your local author is simply talking too much, that’s always a possibility with me. Still, to go back to writing: “What do you write for?”
If its to simply to tell the story, then don’t you write for now? If it’s for people to hear and take that story with them, isn’t that writing for forever?
Where you focus will affect where you are going, so fix your eyes on the things that really matter.

I believe there is a God in that eternity who has a plan for you and for me to act in the now so he can weave us into an eternal tapestry, but even if you can’t believe in such a beautiful thing, I beg of you to think beyond your circumstances. What can you do today, and what does it mean for your eternity?

I love you all, dear readers, now and forever.
C.R. Ware