Distracted

Did you know the number 1 cause of auto accidents is distracted drivers? Some of the more serious incidents of distracted driving might include reading, watching movies on your iPhone, shaving, or putting on makeup. But it is often the subtle distractions that lead to accidents like eating, talking on the cell phone, changing the radio station, or getting something out of the glove box. All of these things increase your risk for an accident.

Distractions are dangerous, not just while driving, but in life. In Luke 9:51, it says, “As the time approached for him (Jesus) to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” I love this verse! What this verse basically says was that there was nothing that was going to distract Jesus from his mission. He knew what he came for and let nothing get in his way.

God has given us all a mission as well, but there are many distractions in this world that get in the way if we allow them to. We have many “shiny things” and “stuff” that compete for our attention and lead us away from God’s calling in our lives.

Just to give you an idea how distracted we are, consider that the United States is 5% of the world population, but we consume 30% of the world’s resources and produce 30% of it’s trash. If the rest of the world consumed at the same rate we would need 5 planets to accommodate the need.

Does our demand for stuff distract us from God’s work? Consider this quote by economist Victor LeBow in 1955:

“Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption . . . we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.”

These words are probably more true today than they have ever been. When we are so focused on what we can get, we are distracted on what we are able to give. We forget the words of Jesus when he says it is more blessed to give than to receive.

When I do weddings I will speak a blessing upon the couple being married. In that blessing I include these words: “May the peace of Christ dwell always in your hearts and in your home; may you have true friends, both in joy and in sorrow; may you always be ready with help and comfort for all those who come to you in need. May you be blessed in your work and enjoy its fruits; may cares never cause you distress, nor the desire for earthly possessions lead you away from the highest values in life, values that are eternal.” May these words be true of all of us!

So what can you do to remove the distraction of “shinny things” and “stuff” so that you can live the blessed and undistracted servant life Jesus has called you to?