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Distraction

Saul had to be blinded by God for a while to get him to stop persecuting Christians. Saul was on what he thought was a mission for God to end the Christian uprising. But God had other plans for Saul. It took a profound experience of God: being knocked off his horse, temporarily blinded, and Christ’s voice from heaven telling him to stop, before Saul became Paul and became an apostle of Christ. Saul had to be stopped in his tracks before he could see how he was on the wrong path.
It is so hard in today’s world to completely unplug. Our little flat things, as Paula Poundstone calls our mobile phones, are taking over. It is way too easy to read a story online, play a game, watch a video, read Facebook or text, rather than have quiet time as we wait in the doctor’s office, let dinner simmer on the stove or put our feet up after a long day at work. Distraction may be the biggest modern sin. It is right up there with “busy.” We are so busy. Busy doing what? Certainly there are family demands, but how do we fill in our days?
Back when Jay and I were first married, we went on a vacation in Vermont. Fellow guests at the Moose Mountain Lodge asked us how we were going to burn off our breakfasts, as they had a full day of riding their bikes to the next Inn on their tour. Me? I planned to burn off my breakfast by rocking on the back porch.  It has been a long time since that lovely weekend in Vermont in October for the fall colors. But I long for it. I long for a time when I can just sit and rock and be in nature.
So how are we going to get away from the demands of the world and seek a course correction for our lives? It may not be possible to go to an Inn today, but can we each find an hour, or even half an hour, to unplug, keep from distraction and just be with God, a Bible and a cup of tea? I’m going to block it out on my calendar for this evening. How about you? Can you keep yourself from distraction for a period of time today? If so, how did it feel?

Comments

  1. Kena JoMarch 1, 2018 at 3:53 PM

    I am a little behind with the readings this week for I have managed to get a mild case of the flu. Being under the weather is not fun, by any means, however I did spend alot of time yesterday sleeping - either on the couch or our bed. I could easily see tasks that could be done because the house is in a bit of a shambles from the surprise flooding of the basement last week due to Illinois "spring" rains. I actually gave myself permission to stay home from work and to ignore the to-do-list in my mind! It was peaceful huddling under blankets, floating in and out of sleep. No energy to do anything else but rest or change clothes when my fever broke. I tried to "talk" to God for a bit and to listen. Didn't discover anything profound (of course) but it was sooo nice to be quiet. Then it came to me that I sometimes do not learn lessons very well the first time or the second time or even the third time.
    I was raised to be a hard working person who could only rest when the work was all done. Of course it never is. Too many times I have worked too hard, once with nearly deadly results. One would think I had learned enough the hard way what not to, but like Saul I though I knew my goal.
    The comments above got me to thinking it is time really make a commitment to rest more with God. More importantly is to not regard the time as just one more item to add to my mental to do list, for if I do that it no longer becomes a moment to find peace, connectedness with my Higher Power, but becomes an unwelcome chore.
    Back to bed I go
    Namaste

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