Distractions

I don't like them, yet they come every day. Distractions, those little things that tie up the body or mind (or both) that keep us from the things we want or need to accomplish. Life is filled with them and they can be discouraging.

This morning I started my routine, got up, woke the kids, went back to bed for a few minutes until the snooze went off, the arose to read the scripture of the day. (I didn't make the coffee as I was heading into the office early. Distraction #1) So I got ready and left for the office, only to stop to get coffee. (Distraction #2) After almost a half hour of chit-chat at the coffee shop I arrive at the office, only to find a group of people there working. (So much for the nice quiet morning I was expecting. Distraction #3) But it wasn't over. Then there were the phone calls, the knocks on the door the time that was quickly slipping away. (Distractions #4,5,6)

(Now I realize that some of you reading this today may have been some of those distractions. That's okay. I'm not angry, just keep reading.)

A few years ago I heard a sermon entitled "Ministry on the Fly." It was about how Jesus did ministry in the midst of his own distractions. (You might recall the story of Jairus, his daughter's illness and on the way Jesus meets the bleeding woman. Luke 9:40-56) The point was, although they seem to be distractions, they are also opportunities for important ministry. The problem is instead of looking at the distraction, we are always trying to look around it, never really seeing what is right in front of us.

Distractions can be the greatest experiences, (or at least learning opportunities) if we only pay attention.

The key is determining what is important and what is a distraction! (We'll talk more about this on Sunday Morning.)

Haggai proclaimed this idea. The distraction for the people of Jerusalem who had been charged with rebuilding the Temple was their own homes, their own selfish desires. God's word through Haggai was this, "while you've run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins." (Haggai 1:9, The Message) It was their tight-fisted stinginess that kept the Temple in ruins but their homes nicely finished. They were spending much more time and money on their own things than for God!

Sound familiar?

We can be distracted by a lot of things. Some worth paying attention to, others that need to be set aside. If the distractions are attempts to satisfy our selfish desires (and it may take time and a humble, serious self-check to identify these.) then we need to re-prioritize our lives. The distractions may just be a God-given opportunity to learn, to share, to be in ministry in the variety of ways that can happen. In fact the distracting, annoying thing that is afflicting you right now might just be...

...God!

Disturbing isn't it!

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