If your life is anything like mine, it is filled with distractions that take me off a planned course or out of a peaceful slumber. Ringing phones, barking dogs, visitors, flickering lights, or even a rumbling stomach can take your focus off one thing to the urgent beckoning of another.
When there is music playing in the room, I find it difficult to write because my mind follows the tune and the words even as the room now is filled with a woman singing Hosanna in Mandarin. Random thoughts flood into my mind. Tilley, the faithful Yorkie sits on the top of my recliner as I lay out resting my back and she proceeds to lick my ear... she is informing me she wants or needs to go outside. I must be easily distracted because even the thought of my hot chocolate cooling too fast before I drink it, causes me to pause and decide on what I'm going to do in the next few seconds.
You probably didn't even notice I stopped and took a slow draw on my Starbucks mug from Amsterdam. Each and every day, our life is filled with distractions, some good, some bad, some annoying, and some just plain irritating. Today, Americans like myself pack our days with so much in them, even good or fun things, that we race at a self-imposed speed to get it all done and we forget the real reason why we are doing whatever it is we are doing. We many not even have enjoyed it and if it was vacation that finished without a relaxing awe... that is just plain wrong.
One of the busiest schedules are moms that care for the house & children (not to mention working a job to make the ends meet). As a working dad up until 8 years ago, I had a busy schedule with my job, but it was fairly organized and the 10 hours or so were accomplished with the end in sight and a drive home to the family. But for my lady, that was a different story, I won't even try and go into all the things that Kim did, but the results are three fine, grown, mature, wonderful children prepared to create a legacy that far exceeds anything that I did at work. Though I was involved with our children and desired even more as they grew up, Kim deserves the medal of honor for going beyond the call of duty.
In every one's life, distractions come and how we cope with them varies to the types and intensity of the distractions themselves. The world is full of distractions and marketers jobs depend on turning a distraction into a sale of whatever product they are hocking at the moment. Radio, TV, billboards, magazines, newspapers, the Internet... everything is vying for your attention and we succumb and are drawn in because of our flawed self nature. We want a new iPhone 5; we want a new 50" LCD TV to watch the game on... We want.... We need... We have to have... Can't live without...
Ever noticed that the one most important thing, or at least should be, is the easiest for us to ignore? No matter if you are Billy Graham or the President, or a homeless alcoholic, we all need God in our life more and more. When was the last time you were distracted by God to do something or think about something; and did you?
We ALLOW and even WELCOME some distractions to cover up how we feel or where our life is heading, but almost always those are distractions from the world and not from God. We tend to hide from God or count it as indigestion because we don't know His voice spoken directly, through others, or even in some media like music; we are going so fast at our lives that we run right through Jesus trying to get our attention. We fail to walk slowly and see people for who they really are with eyes like Jesus; we don't want that type of distraction, we want to be entertained.
When it is all said and done, people are waiting to be loved and you just look the other way. Not this distraction, only the distractions that I want. Not God, not People; can't someone else do it because I don't have time, energy, talent, or right shoes. You and I are really great at making up excusses but Jesus said this when asked which of the commandments was greatest:
"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' " On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." Matt 22:37-40 NASU
We wonder what is wrong with the world and the answer boils down to these two principles; Love God above all else and love others in the same way. This type of love that loves beyond even beyond loving our self, isn't easy and is impossible without the Holy Spirit working through us. But these two things we avoid doing.
Maybe next time you pray, you will ask God to distract you from the immediate thing you are doing to STOP and know Him and do as he asks. I can't think of a better distraction than one from the Creator of the Universe; one who loves me more than anything else. And the good thing is that He never gets tired of us showing Him how much we love Him. Get distracted by Jesus as soon as you can.
