A recent conversation with a friend revolved around our mutual meltdown. Few areas in our lives were issue-free; but it felt like if “one thing” was fixed, everything else would be better.

If you have one too, it’s often the part of our lives that could make our day, but it breaks it instead. My “one thing” was different from my friend’s, which might be different from yours. And yet, we may all know the kind of tension that puts a constant demand on our faith. But the demand can change to delight.

We could be one talk or one task away from a fresh encounter with the One and Only God.

These examples from the lives of David, Paul and Mary show us how.

 “The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord ’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.”( Psalms 27:4 NLT)

David, the writer of this verse, was a husband, father and a king. At some point, each of these roles became complicated.

He could have focused on many things. But “delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple” was what he sought the most.

His choice inspires me. Regardless of who or what is around us, there can be a powerful resolve within us. How will we experience God’s presence “all the days” of our lives?

Before we answer, here’s more encouragement from the life of Paul.

Punishing Christians because of their faith was part of his daily routine. But while on the way to do more harm, Paul (at the time his name was Saul) was given more mercy and grace than he thought was possible. (see Acts 9)

He repented and instead of persecuting Christians, Paul became one. A grace-focus gripped his heart. In this verse, His words grip mine.

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” (Philippians 3:13 NLT)

It’s an important pivot.

In order to put the past behind us, it helps to see what Christ has set before us.

Martha almost missed it; but Mary saw it right away.

Jesus was a guest in their home and Martha was a hostess on steroids. However, Mary skipped kitchen duty, sat at the Savior’s feet and focused on His teaching instead. (see Luke 10:38-42)

Frustrated she wasn’t getting any help, Martha complained to Jesus. He saw her concern over many things and this is what He said:

“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42 NLT)

Martha may have needed help with dinner, but Mary was focused on her need for Christ. We can too.

What if, like David, we focused on God’s perfections; even when things are far from perfect in our lives?

What if, like Paul, we embraced Christ’s forgiveness more than we clung to our failures?

What if, like Mary, we discovered making time for Jesus keeps us from making choices we’ll later regret?

If something is holding us back or shutting us down, the cause may be many things. But only “one thing” will ignite our faith. As we realize who God is, we can entrust our lives to His care, knowing with Him all things are possible.