9. distractions
story
This last week, I've been pondering on this quote "we are distracted by distraction by distraction". Much to my surprise, this was written in 1936 by T.S Elliot in his poem called Burnt Norton, way before mobile phones and social media were even invented!
Last week, I picked up my phone so I could read a Hainanese chicken rice recipe. In the middle of that, a message came through. Before I knew it, I had replied that message, checked all my other whatsapp messages, and robotically, somehow found myself scrolling on Instagram. (It still scares me that my fingers automatically revert to opening Instagram when I have a free moment on the phone!) Before I knew it, I stood in the middle of my kitchen wondering what I had originally picked up the phone for ... only to be disrupted by the awful smell of burnt garlic and ginger. "That's right", I was in the middle of lightly frying the garlic and ginger before adding the rice grains into the pot.
Fortunately, this distraction had relatively small consequences, but as I thought about T.S Elliot's quote, I wondered, if I wasn't so easily distracted, how much could I get done? How purposeful would my life be? How much time am I wasting?
For those of you who are visual learners, here's a graphical representation of time we have on earth.
I'm in the process of creating daily being formed physical journals with carefully curated prompts to help others live a more purposeful, rested and peaceful life. It's helped me in my daily rhythms be more aware of God's presence in my everyday life, and my prayer is that it will help others like you.
As I've asked people to test these prompts, I often get asked, "Are you going to create an app for this?" For now (at least), the answer is a no. It's a conscious decision to steer us away from picking up the phone, which can be the source of great distraction.
In marketing terms, there is a phrase called "the medium is the message." When I pick up my phone, I instantly associate convenience, easy, quick instantaneous results. Yet in reality, becoming more Christlike is rarely immediate. Transformation is not often instantaneous (though it can happen in God's grace), and usually is a lifelong slow journey, guided by God's gentle, loving invitation to follow Him and His ways.
devotional
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Hebrews 12:1-2a (NIV)
The Greek word translated “fixing our eyes” in Hebrews 12:2, aphorao, comes from apo meaning “away from something near” and horao meaning “to look away from all else and to look steadfastly, intently toward a distant object.” The word signifies undivided attention, looking away from all distractions in order to fix one's gaze on one object. In this verse, it is to have eyes for no one but Jesus.
Sometimes it's easy to forget our time here on earth is only temporary.This passage reminds us that we are all in a race. It's an individual race, one that is marked out especially for us, so there's little point comparing it to what others are doing, as we are each called to something unique.
As I read this, I'm reminded of horse blinders. It is a piece of equipment used particularly when racing, and it is shown in white on the front horse in the picture below. It keeps the horse focussed on what's ahead, removing other distractions around it.
photo by Jeff Griffith on Unsplash
I wonder, what guards can we put in place to ensure we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus?
quote
“If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy." Corrie Ten Boom
Here's my take on this - "If the devil can't make you sin, he'll keep you distracted." Distracted by small, seemingly insignificant things, so you lose track of what truly matters in eternity and get distracted from what God is calling you to be and do.
question
What distracts you? What is one thing you can do this week to help keep your eyes fixed on Jesus?
If you think some accountability could help, please feel free to hit reply on this email :)
prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you are a pure, perfect and holy God. You always want the best for us and help us follow you. I'm sorry that I'm often distracted by other things, people and pleasures. Please forgive me for this... and help me turn my way to follow you. Give me the strength, focus and necessary courage to turn away from distractions and fix my eyes on you.
Amen
Have a great week.
Love,
p.s. If you're interested in learning how to grow in your awareness of God's presence in every part of your day, I want to invite you to come to this event. I will be speaking on "Growing in intimacy with God" on Saturday September 27th at 2pm, held at Wallacia Church, 23 Park Road, Wallacia NSW 2745. There will be worship, a talk, a practical workshop and food... and I have some surprises in store for you too!