--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do not focus your thoughts among the…" description: "\"“Do not focus your thoughts among the confused wheels of secondary causes, as -'O if this had been, this had not followed!' Look up to the master motio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eba/samuel-rutherford-3289_beauty_do-not-focus-your-thoughts-among-the-con_1059366.jpg" --- # Do not focus your thoughts among the confused wheels of… ![“Do not focus your thoughts among the confused wheels of secondary causes, as -'O if this had been, this had not followed!' Look up to the master motion of the first wheel. In building, we see hewn stones and timbers under hammers and axes, yet the house in this beauty we do not see at the present…” quote by Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eba/samuel-rutherford-3289_beauty_do-not-focus-your-thoughts-among-the-con_1059366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eba/samuel-rutherford-3289_beauty_do-not-focus-your-thoughts-among-the-con_1059366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eba/samuel-rutherford-3289_beauty_do-not-focus-your-thoughts-among-the-con_1059366.jpg) > ““Do not focus your thoughts among the confused wheels of secondary causes, as -'O if this had been, this had not followed!' Look up to the master motion of the first wheel. In building, we see hewn stones and timbers under hammers and axes, yet the house in this beauty we do not see at the present, but it is in the mind of this builder. We also see unbroken clods, furrows, and stones, but we do not see the summer lilies, roses, and the beauty of a garden. Even so we do not presently see the outcome of God's decrees with his blessed purpose. It is hard to believe when his purpose is hidden and under the ground. Providence has a thousand keys to deliver his own even when all hope is gone. Let us be faithful and care for our own part, which is to do and suffer for him, and lay Christ's part on himself and leave it there; duties are ours, events are the Lord's.”” [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on divine purpose rather than immediate causes; trust unseen outcomes guided by higher will. **In simple terms:** Trust God's unseen plan. Key Takeaway Serve faithfully, trust providence. Themes faith trust divine purpose patience Mood hopeful reflective Type spiritual theological When to use this quote - building a life - facing uncertainty - enduring hardship - maintaining hope Key Concepts theodicy spiritual insight purpose Questions to Reflect On - How can we recognize hidden blessings? - What role does patience play in faith? A Different Perspective Human effort is limited; outcomes remain mysterious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Duties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duties/) [God-s-sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-sovereignty/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) ## Related quotes > [Let us be faithful and care for our own part, which is to do and suffer for Him, and lay Christ's part on Himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/let-us-be-faithful-and-care-for-our-own-part-which-is-to-do-and/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [“Precautions can’t prevent what God decrees, To play safe just means extra bother too— Have trust in destiny, that’s best for you! 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The decrees of God are birth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-in-the-middle-that-human-choices-are-made-the-beginning-and-the/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I infer that God's decrees, and the necessity of event flowing thence, neither destroy the true free-agency of men, nor render the commission of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-toplady/i-infer-that-god-s-decrees-and-the-necessity-of-event-flowing-thence/) [Augustus Toplady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-toplady/) > [“Direct your attention to the details of what you feel grateful for. If there are physical or emotional feelings involved, focus your thoughts on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-scott/direct-your-attention-to-the-details-of-what-you-feel-grateful-for-if/) [S.J. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-scott/) > [When you do not know how to focus your thoughts effectively, they can become scattered, miscellaneous, and fixated on "stuff negative notions, toxic relationships,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-do-not-know-how-to-focus-your-thoughts-effectively-they-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more we focus on the thoughts, the more powerful they become. Therefore, it can become very difficult to stop these endless cycles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/the-more-we-focus-on-the-thoughts-the-more-powerful-they-become/) Senoraroy > [I always look forward to going for a walk in Rushcutters Bay Park, right down to the bottom where you can look in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-martin/i-always-look-forward-to-going-for-a-walk-in-rushcutters-bay-park/) [Catherine Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-martin/) > [“When we focus our thoughts on something, we resonate with it. When that resonance is constant and directed, we draw it to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/when-we-focus-our-thoughts-on-something-we-resonate-with-it-when-that/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“The main shift, you see, is from placing self at the center of our thoughts to putting others there. It is-what do you say?-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-michie/the-main-shift-you-see-is-from-placing-self-at-the-center-of-our/) [David Michie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-michie/) > [When you step outside of school and have to teach yourself about life, you develop a different relationship to information. I've never been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/when-you-step-outside-of-school-and-have-to-teach-yourself-about-life/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [“Healing is about making the choice to focus your thoughts on what feels energetically better at the level of your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/healing-is-about-making-the-choice-to-focus-your-thoughts-on-what/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [“Focus your thoughts on what you want in every area of your life...the more you think and focus on something, the more you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-basevic/focus-your-thoughts-on-what-you-want-in-every-area-of-your-life-the/) [Mike Basevic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-basevic/) > [If you focus your thoughts on what you do have and not what you don't have you will always be grateful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-johnson-jr/if-you-focus-your-thoughts-on-what-you-do-have-and-not-what-you-don-t/) [Ernie Johnson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-johnson-jr/) ## More by Samuel Rutherford > [The cross of Christ is the sweetest burden that I ever bore; it is such a burden as wings are to a bird, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/the-cross-of-christ-is-the-sweetest-burden-that-i-ever-bore-it-is/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [Well's them who are under crosses, and Christ says to them, "Half Mine."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/well-s-them-who-are-under-crosses-and-christ-says-to-them-half-mine/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [O, what I owe to the file, the hammer, and the furnace of the Lord Jesus! 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