Brittany and I hit a new chapter in life recently. It’s called “We have a teenager driving, so we worry about her every second she’s on the road.” With this new chapter in our lives, we also need to purchase her a car. Now, our sweet little Madison, who shouldn’t be old enough to drive, is very different than I was about my first car. She has ZERO expectations or wants with this first car. As long as it has four wheels and will start, she’s happy. However, there are a few things I want to make sure it has, especially when it comes to safety.
Like most of our large purchases, I go a little on the deep end when it comes to research. I’m reading about the safest cars and analyzing the cost. If I have a spare moment (which doesn’t happen often), I look up cars for her (and for me) while running 1,000 different scenarios in my head about what the best move is (yes, I’m a little crazy about things like this).
While doing this research, I have often become a little distracted. And while I’m distracted, I miss things–sometimes even little moments. Today, I missed passing my boys while Brittany was taking them to school because I had one of the 1,000 scenarios pop into my head. Even though it was a brief moment, I missed seeing my boys wave, smile, and throw up one of our many hand signs to say “I love you” before they went to school.
In today's time, it’s very easy to become distracted because we have instant access to gratify every thought that pops into our heads. We become limited in the amount of face-to-face conversations because (at least for me) our minds are constantly racing toward our next thought. Just as I was distracted and missed seeing my boys this morning, there are so many more times I’m distracted and miss seeing Jesus.
How many times do I open a social media app instead of my Bible? How many times while in church do I open Google instead of focusing on our pastor?
Paul spoke about distraction in the book of Ephesians when he wrote, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV). How do we make the most of every opportunity when we constantly have access to unlimited information? How do spend quality time with our Father when we are constantly distracted?
I believe if you struggle with this, you take it to the Father and pray about it. You pray that He allows you to become more aware of the thoughts that distract you from Him. And you become intentional in changing the habits that are revealed to you.
We will always have distractions. We will always have things that are vying for our attention, but that doesn’t mean we lose sight of our purpose and calling here on earth. What are you focused on today? Thoughts will flow from one after another like the waves at the beach, but sometimes it’s better to get out of the water and just sit in the Son.
-Daniel
Distractions can easily consume our thoughts and time, especially in today's culture. So, we want to know, how do you handle distractions? Let's talk about it in the comments below.
About Daniel:
Daniel Tate is my (Brittany) handsome and adorable hubby. We've been married now for 12 years and have five beautiful children. Daniel works in Athletic Administration at Mercer University in Macon, GA (where you'll find our family at any college sports game on any given week/weekend). God has blessed me with an amazing man that loves Jesus and isn't afraid to share what God has done in his life. He has defined for me what tangible love is and points me to Jesus everyday.
Do you reminder to be mindful of your thoughts? Our MINDFUL bracelet equips you with a prayer to focus on God's goodness and truth, and reminds you to keep your mind on the things above. Click the image below to learn more.
