CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 895

“Distracted”

Mary…sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. (Luke 10:39,40)

We have created a monster that is destroying our ability to relate to others with depth and meaning. What started out as the Information Age has become the Age of Distraction. We are alerted and interrupted by calls, texts, pokes, tags, emails and tweets. Rather than control the flow of information we have allowed it free access to interrupt us in real-time. It is like taking a drink from a fully open fire hydrant.

Social network distractions are compounded by our addiction to entertainment that is streamed to our hand-held devices wherever we are. Add to this all the to-do tasks and obligations of everyday work and family life and we have a recipe for the mass destruction of interpersonal relationships. Meaningful dialog and conversations between spouses, parents and children, as well as friends and family have become non-existent or infrequent and truncated at best.

Our distracted lifestyle also affects our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This was the difference between Martha and Mary in our reference Scripture. Jesus points out that Mary’s choice to avoid the distractions that beset Martha and focus completely upon Jesus was the correct choice. Do you struggle to shut out the world for a period of time and enter into prayer, worship and communion with our Lord Jesus each day? Do you struggle to enter into the presence of God during church service unencumbered by all kinds of distracting thoughts? I am guilty on both counts.

Are you able and willing to shut off the electronic distraction pipeline to have a meaningful conversation with friends and family? Our ability to actively listen to others and to build effective relationships in the physical as well as the spiritual realm depends upon our ability to control the distractions of life. This is not easy to do and it takes work and commitment.

There is much said and written about ‘time management’. However, the real issue is ‘attention management’. We must not relegate our personal relationships with God and others to a timed checkbox on our to-do list. In order to manage our attention we must say ‘No!’ to some things, albeit good things, but nonetheless things that must be stopped in order to balance life’s priorities. We must be willing to shut off the television, computer, and cell phone during one-on-one time with others. We must shut off our minds to the distractions of the world and press in through worship and prayer during our quiet time with the Lord at home and at church.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:2) Note that it was the psalmist’s choice to calm and quiet his soul. It is a choice we also must make.

May the Holy Spirit counsel you and empower you to make the right choices in controlling your interrupt-driven life. May you enjoy a deeper interpersonal relationship with God, family, and friends as you detoxify yourself from this age of distraction.