Distraction-Free

I spent time recently with a friend who impressed me and inspired me to do better in a specific area of my life.

I could feel the difference almost immediately as we visited. It was in the way she paid attention to every word between us. It was her undivided concentration on our discussions. It was in her intentionality, and in the deliberateness of her engagement.

Because the truth is we don’t see that much anymore.

We live in a world where everyone is “busy” and “hurried” and “preoccupied” by so many other things. With cell phones in hand, we live “at the ready” for everything else, oftentimes neglecting the very thing… including the people… who are right in front of us.

And I would communicate my fascinating findings with my husband and we would both agree that this was, indeed, a rarity that needed to be celebrated.

And I would whisper it to God yesterday morning during my prayer time… I’ve GOT to get better!

And in that moment it was as if the Holy Sprit whispered it to my very soul and I wrote it in my journal: Help me to live distraction-free!

Because sadly enough, most of our declination, most of our downward-ness, disinterest, and deterioration is a direct result of distraction.


We’ve allowed ourselves to be distracted, derailed, detached, distanced, and suddenly… we’re living in a state of desolation and we simply don’t understand what happened.

The word distraction, by definition means this: a drawing apart, separation, confusion from a multiplicity of objects crowding the mind and calling the attention different ways, perplexity, confusion of affairs, disorder, madness, a state of disordered reason, franticness, harassment, amounting to insanity.


Wow!

Just… wow.

My bible dictionary for the word includes this quote by Buckminster, “On the supposition of the truth of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, irreligion is nothing better than distraction.”

When we allow ourselves to be distracted we open ourselves up to harassment, separation, confusion, disorder, madness, franticness, and insanity.

It’s not wonder we’re seeing a devastating increase of more discontentment and depression!

Could it be that we’ve simply given way to distraction that is absolutely debilitating and slowly destroying us?

It’s become the cry of my heart. Because I have get better. I have to do better.

And I need Him to help me live a distraction-free life.

To determine to live every moment with great purpose and intensity.

To be present every chance I get.

It matters.

It really, really matters.