Losing Focus

I recently got back from our Agape Fall Retreat in the mountains above Florence. While I was headed to the conf. on the train, bus,etc. I realized I left my new 80gb Ipod on the train. It took me a day to realize I didn't have it. I think I was so distracted and concentrated on the conference and falling down the train stairs that I forgot it. I clearly remember packing it and then taking it out on the train to listen to it and then leaving it in the seat when I was gathering luggage. I noticed late Friday night when I was about to listen to some music that it was gone. It was strange but I wasn't really that upset. Something in me kept saying you should be really mad. This should ruin your weekend...cast a shodow over it all...draw you away from why you really came to the conf. But I felt like God was trying to show me something about how I've been living my life and what I've been focusing on these last few weeks. The focus has certainly not been the Lord and growing in my walk with Him. As I work on 100% l language here in Pisa there is ample time for the enemy to draw you away and to whisper in your ear that you are missing out on some of the things the world says are important or are worth having. For some stupid reason I've unknowingly been draw into thinking I need all these new cool electronic things over here...like a new video camera, new ipod speakers because what I already have just isn't up to speed and it's not good enough. Little did I realize these things had secretly come into my life and drawn me away from Christ, my true treasure. How come I don't see that what I have of Christ is too little and what I know of Him isn't enough??? Why do I not think I'm behind the times in growing closer to Him ???...because I am. What I have of Christ in my life is out of date. So from Friday until late Sunday night I felt a huge conviction and I felt sad because I let things of this world take the place Christ should have in me. I know it may not seem like a big deal to think about electronics,etc. but I believe God uses the most random things sometimes to open our eyes to how far off track we've gotten. So instead of feeling mad over the loss of the ipod I started praying for the person that found it. That they would listen to the music and that they would know Christ in their life. I prayed that I would become a better steward of the things God has given me and that my focus would come back to Christ. That I would daily see how little of Him I really have and how much of Him I really need to live moment to moment. Fastforward to last night, Sunday. I checked both customer assistance offices in Florence and Pisa to see if some really nice Italian found it. The train staff all laughed in my face. I was talking to my parents on the phone and telling them what I was feeling and what I think God was trying to teach me through all of this. As I was talking to my mom, I started unmaking my bed to go to sleep when I pulled back the covers and and great gasp and holy crap came out of my mouth. There laying right in my face was the Ipod. My mom started laughing. I thought I was losing my mind because I KNOW I tok it with me in my luggage and pulled it out on the train. I can't explain it but I just might be going crazy. All that to say that God was teaching me to regain focus and He wanted to see if I really knew what was most important in my life when things are taken away. I'm sure this will not be the last time He does something crazy like this to show me where my focus has gone and to get my attention. Are there things in your life that you are unknowingly letting rob you of your focus on Christ? What are those things? Have you really taken time to evaluate where your focus is today?