Distractions
For over 20 year I have been doing a comic strip based on my two sons, Aaron, and John David. This particular strip has Aaron commenting to John David regarding his shirt. He said, “I love your shirt, it suits you perfectly.”
John David looks at Aaron, looks the other direction and then looks back at Aaron and says, What?”
John David’s shirt has the statement in bold letters, “easily distracted.”
We live in a time when distractions are not only common but are plentiful. With the world at our fingertips there is no end to the number of ideas and thoughts that can drag us away from reality.
I want to share five different distractions that seem to be the most common. My prayer is that you will identify if these or other things have a habit of pulling you away from the important calling in your life. Remember, we can get so caught up in the things that we define as urgent and completely miss what is most important in God’s eyes.
The first distraction is FOMO, fear of missing out. We have become so accustomed to knowing not only what is happening in our local environment but what is developing on the other side of the world. Social media has become more than a source of information, it has become an addiction to many. Every 4-5 minutes we check our phones even if no notification has been posted.
The second is life. What can be wrong with being active in life? How can it be a distraction? The problem arises when we are so involved in the day-to-day stress and obligations of life that we miss the times Jesus is calling us to sit at His feet and learn of Him. In Noah’s day they were eating, drinking, and giving in marriage just prior to the flood. Sound familiar? Being responsible for our families is not wrong unless we become more concerned with what we will eat and drink than we are about God’s vision for our lives.
The third is expectations. How many of us want to live out our childhood again through our children? The expectations that were placed on us or that we place on others can become a heavy burden and distract us from our true calling from our Lord. We can also place great expectations on ourselves that prevent us from following the Lord.
Fourth is fear. If we are gripped with fear, we are useless to minister and accomplish the vision God has for us. We can struggle with anxiety over circumstances in our lives, at a national level or even global. Satan has a great tool to shackle Christians and limit their potential by striking fear into their hearts.
Finally, we can be distracted by our past. Two ways we can be affected by our past are times of disobedience and times of great success. Our failures can cause us to feel unworthy to be used. Peter could have let his denial keep him from becoming a great leader in establishing the church. We can also let the glory days in ministry distract us from putting forth an effort today. God is thankful for our devotion in day gone by but is more concerned about what we are doing today for Him.
So, how do we battle these and other distractions? What do we do to glorify Christ and not be trapped? The answer is simple but requires daily effort. Proverbs 4:25 states, ”Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.“
Peter was fine walking on water as long as his eyes were on the Savior. The waves were boisterous before he stepped out of the boat. It comes down to where our focus is. Place your eyes on Jesus and He will take care of the distractions that plague us.