Shh, let’s just be today.
Forget that to-do list.
Sit quietly in your chair.
Take a few deep breaths and be.
Do you realize we check our cell phones an average of 110 times a day?
According to Computer World, in the United States we average 16 minutes every hour on social media.
Distractions bombard us continuously.
Distractions – phone, internet, and pestering to do’s deter us from giving our full attention to the One who most deserves our devotion.
I hunger for stillness and quiet and just to be.
Perhaps that is why I love to start my morning in contemplative prayer. Usually I ramble off my concerns and a few wants to the Lord, then I just rest in his arms. Heaven doesn’t open up and I don’t see angels ascending and descending – just being in his presence.
I don’t hear God’s mighty voice or lean in for his gentle whisper,
We just enjoy each other’s company.
No agenda. No items to discuss. Just being together.
But I fail often. My mind wanders off down rabbit trails and detours. I think of just one more person I want to be sure God knows about (as if he doesn’t already know, duh!). Or maybe just a small detail of something I forgot to mention in my never-ending list of requests to him.
Soon I am running away in my busyness and inattentiveness.
Yet God waits for me, always with open arms. No, he does more than wait, he pursues me, calls to me, runs like the father of the prodigal seeking me as much as I see him.
What a relationship!
“If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master’s presence.
And even if your did nothing during the whole of your hour
but bring your heart back and place it again in our Lord’s presence, though it went away every time you brought it back,
your hour would be very well employed.”
What is your biggest distraction and how do you manage it?
I get SO frustrated with the distractions! Why can’t I keep my mind on the Almighty God of the Universe?! One thing that helps: If the distraction is something for the to-list, I write it down. Once it’s on paper I don’t have to think about it anymore.
Your bunny-trail metaphor made me think of my toddler granddaughter. When we go on walks together, she is easily distracted by such mundane things as sticks, stones, and acorns. But while her attention is on these inconsequential objects, I don’t get upset. She’ll eventually come back to me, ready to chat about her “treasures,” maybe even hug my leg with affection. And I’m wondering, could our Heavenly Father look upon us in the same way? Perhaps the distractions don’t bother him as much as they bother us. He knows we’re not much better at concentrating than toddlers (!), and we’ll eventually come back to Him with love and gratitude.
Just a thought!
Just love your comment, Nancy. I love watching the toddlers too who get so wrapped up with the wonder and creation of the world. I think they see more than we do!
Yes, I do get distracted when the most important thing I could/should do is simply rest in God’s presence. Thank you, Jean, for this reminder!