Distracted?

Like this gull who seems distracted from his beach foraging, most of us can relate to losing focus. We are often side tracked by extraneous thoughts, interruptions, or tasks which divert us from accomplishing our initial plans.

We have hearts hungry for meaning and purpose, but busy and demanding lives, the incessant bing of cell phones, and the lure of social media disrupt or delay our search. Bombarded with useless or inaccurate information, insipid influencers, appealing advertisements, diverse opinions, bitter politics, and the busyness of life, our more important priorities become skewed and relationships are preempted.

Despite the immense technological possibilities for making personal connections, we have become emotionally isolated. Since the advent of the iphone, being bodily present has nothing to do with being “present.” Looking “on line” for validation and instantaneous gratification, we lose the art of in-person interactions and more importantly the meaning of “end” goals. Intimacy and purpose lose out.

Scripture encourages one to live intentionally, to focus on and to pay attention to what is good for emotional and spiritual health with admonitions such as “Be sober,” or “Be viligant,” or “Consider,” or “Resist.” Christ taught his followers to pray daily for basic needs and to be kept from “temptation,” to be delivered “from evil,” and to ask for and give forgiveness. The Apostle Paul’s advice to the Ephesians reflected those concerns and ideals: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

Undisciplined minds make us susceptible to forgetting what or who God intended us to be. Making the “best use of the time” in evil days is not just about productivity. We not only need clarity of thought and direction for daily activities but especially for our spiritual walk to be filled with wisdom from above, with corporate and personal worship, and with much gratitude: “…giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” ( Ephesians 5:17-20). We are to regularly seek protection and deliverance.

Faithfully pondering God’s desire for our lives focuses our human story on its eternal dimensions. Adhering to His Word minimizes life’s distractions and allows Him to redeem and shepherd us. If we prioritize God as Jesus did, our souls will be nourished in green pastures and will walk beside still waters here and now; and someday, a dwelling place “ in the house of the Lord” will be ours “forever.” (Psalm 23)

That is worth paying attention to.