Life today is full of things to do. Life is full of things to believe in. Life is full of things that distract. Distractions are all over our lives. They infect, they fool, and they cause chaos. Building a life that can deal with the chaos of the world is like moving bricks and building a brick wall. The process of dealing with distractions takes work, is intentional, and causes disconnection with others. Dealing with distractions is hard and dealing with distractions is uncomfortable. Dealing with distractions is critical to healthy and holy living.
Why is dealing with distraction the greatest struggle and the most important thing to focus on in todays culture? Because, if people do not fight against distraction they will be infected by mediocrity, falsity, and failure. What distracts us from reading and understanding truth? Many things, first, the distraction of our emotions. Don’t hear this incorrectly, emotions are significantly important to living life. The absence of emotions creates just as much chaos as the over indulgence of emotions. The balance between our emotional minds and our rational minds is desperately needed because the reactions people have today are over emotional and lack thought. Another aspect that distracts people is technology, technology is amazing, it is helpful, it is impactful, but it is distracting. Technology is a good thing but it can’t become the ultimate thing, which is what it is becoming to be.
A third distraction is noise. America is a loud country. It is always talking, always posting on social media, always yelling its opinions, and always selling things. The noise of our culture distracts. Not matter if someone is an introvert or an extrovert, silence is critical for hearing a message. Messages need to be heard because communication has to have a speaker and a listener. The listener has to be quiet and has to be able to hear. A listener can not listen if distractions are present.
What distracts us from the reading and hearing Gods word? Our phones, our sports, our work, our image, and our desires. Distractions are an inevitable part of living in this world however it does not have to own us. What is one thing that we can do to fight off distraction? Put down our phone, close our computers and pick up a tangible, paper bound book, and read it. Pick up a bible and read it, turn its pages, feel its weight in your hand and meditate on its printed words. Holding a bible distraction from technology owning us.
Why is it important to read a paper book and not using a piece of technology with an app? Technology is a distraction, the notifications that ring, the temptation is has to click on a social media app, the idolization we have for it distracts us from the word. To make a point try this, go without holding your bible for a day and see how that effects your emotions and thoughts. Go without holding your phone for a day and see how that effects your emotions and thoughts. Which effects you more emotionally? What causes you more distress? Which one do we make more excuses and justifications for?
What is life more threatened by? The lack of phones or our lack of our bible? It should be evident and we should be moving in a direction to fight against distractions.