I recently took my 15 year old grandson, Josh, on vacation with us to Washington DC. Guess who had just gotten his learner’s permit and wanted to drive. Since I am the ‘cool grandpa’, Josh got to drive – on the interstate when traffic was not too heavy.

When he first got behind the wheel, I noticed he had a tendency to weave a little. After a couple of minutes, I asked him how he was maintaining his lane. He said, “I am judging where I am by the white strip on the side of the highway and the broken line that separates the lanes.” He was steering the car based on where he was instead of where he wanted to go.

Very calmly (depending on whom you ask), I suggested he begin to watch the horizon and drive toward it without paying so much attention to the dividing lines. Once he began to trust that technique, his control of the car improved greatly and the ride was so much smoother. His confidence in his driving ability was at an all-time high!

This reminded me of the Apostle Peter when he walked on water with Jesus in Matthew 14. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he walked on the water. But when Peter noticed the high winds and rough waves, he began to sink! Did you know that the same wind and waves were present while Peter was both walking and sinking? So, what made the difference in Peter’s success? Peter’s focus!

What a great life principle for the busy adult who is pursuing their degree while maintaining their professional life, their family life, their church life and their sanity! The ultimate goal is to earn the degree. As long as the focus is on that goal the distractions of life that could derail that pursuit can be navigated. But when the focus shifts from the goal to the distractions, the circumstances can be overwhelming!

The encouragement is to maintain the focus on finishing the degree no matter what is going on around you. Life is going to happen. Keeping your focus on the goal of your degree will enable you to handle the challenges of life and earn your degree at the same time!