A Year of Sundays: The 40th Sunday (10/6/25)

Faith and Focus

This week was an exercise in grounding—faith and focus walking hand in hand. The world feels noisy, full of unpredictable turns, global unease, and moments that challenge one’s sense of peace. I found myself pulled again and again into the storm of current events. But each time, I reminded myself that faith is not blindness—it is balance.

Faith steadies us when the outer world trembles. Focus helps us move forward, step by step, through the uncertainty. Together, they become our compass.

Words to Steady the Soul

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Her words remind me that faith is not passive—it is an active decision to keep moving, even when we do not have all the answers. Faith requires focus on what is good and possible, rather than what is frightening or unknown.

Similarly, Jane Goodall, whose quiet courage continues to inspire, said:“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

That simple truth re-centered me this week. Amid distractions and disquiet, I can still make a difference by choosing calm over chaos, kindness over criticism, and faith over fear.

Reflection Prompt: Where do faith and focus meet in your life right now?When the world feels uncertain, what anchors you in purpose and peace?

Affirmation of the Week: “My faith grounds me. My focus guides me. I choose peace, even in uncertainty.”

References:

Goodall, J. (2019). Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey. Grand Central Publishing.

Roosevelt, E. (1960). You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life. Harper & Brothers.