No Kelly, we’re heading this way as she leans towards the shoe store… or the purses….. “I just want to look” which is code for if something catches my eye….. When there are things that Kelly needs to get but those shoes… and those purses………….
How many times have I seen a shoe store coming up in the mall, or on vacation in the outlets and do my best to lean Miss. Kelly in a different direction!!!
In fact, this past summer on vacation, while looking for a dress, 3 new pairs of slippers came home because…. There are different reasons/areas for those slippers. That girl!!!!!
Forward Friday walks us a little more into this New Year to encourage us not to get trapped. That what we envision as progress of many kinds can be stalled because distractions show up and can railroad positive expressions of change and growth.
But we can figure out ways so that distractions don’t set us back. And as always, there’s good news medicine at the end!!
Let’s Get Into This!!!
I heard it said, “One of the points about negative distractions is that everything that they do is destabilizing”.
And it’s so true.
Think about it; it’s the person walking across the street, so lost in their phone that they miss seeing the car barreling towards them because they are… distracted..
We’re a few weeks into the new year and already, there are those who have backed away from their commitments.
Those who said they were going to commit to working out and…. The weather was….. or
Got home and was tired so tomorrow I’ll go and get going. Distractions
Or
We made a deal that we were going to clean up our act re: our eating habits… But that donut, muffin, sugary beverage, over eating showed up or we saw a commercial and what little will power we thought that was building went the way of….. Distractions
Or
We made a commitment to deal with an attitude, behavior, action so that we could and would become better people, but someone said something and… well we know…. Distractions
Or
Have you ever been in a restaurant and 2 people who should be having meaningful interaction are flying through their phone apps… missing out on connection but they are connected in a different way…..Distractions
Craig Groeschel says, "Normal people live distracted, rarely fully present. Weird people silence the distractions and remain fully in the moment."
It’s not easy when the distractions seem to be overwhelming and the crazy thing is, there are lots of helpful ideas to help us but……
Studies say that the average working North American is distracted every 11 minutes and it usually takes 25 minutes to settle down to get back to what we were doing.
The Pros Give Us Ideas, Things Like,
Keeping goals and visions in mind
Reducing chaos
Visualizing reducing inner chaos (easier said than done at times)
Removing external distractions
Focus on the major things
But I think the most important issue regarding distractions are the emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual negative tolls that distraction cause us.
The husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend who, at some point decided that the distraction of another seems to for a moment look better than the family they are about to destroy…. Distractions
The family, who is so busy with jobs, sports, leisure activities and the list goes on and forgets that the most important thing is the connections but there are the…. the Distractions……..
Distractions from everyday work, goals and life in general can be frustrating, and can even cause major setbacks.
Losing sight of the main things can also cause us to live in fear, anger, worry, frustration, and doubt.
Everything from the internet, TV, social media, cell phones to our jobs, relationships, hobbies, and habits have become things that distract us in every way possible.
We often end up not only adapting but literally chasing after things (fame, fortune, accolades, pedigree, social influence, attention, etc.); which in turn draws us further away into distraction and at the end of the day, were and are often meaningless.
Another major source of distraction are our thoughts – all the craziness that can sometimes go on in our heads. Unfortunately, we can’t control every thought that comes into our minds. However, we CAN control what we do with the thoughts once they surface.
There’s this fascinating story in Genesis 25 of the brothers Esau and Jacob.
(The story is found in Genesis 25:24-34)
They were twins with Esau born first with Jacob grasping at his heels coming out… which is a precursor to the main part of this story.
Esau comes home from the wilderness as he was a skillful hunter while Jacob preferred to hang out at home.
Esau was in his words “starving” and wanted to eat. Jacob had put-on some stew.
Jacob seizes his opportunity and says that he’d give Esau some stew if he traded his birthright as the firstborn son to him.
Esau actually says, “What good is my birthright right now if I’m starving?” Distractions.....
Jacob says swear to give it to me and you get the stew which he did by oath.
Jacob hands him bread and the lentil stew and the Bible says, Esau ate, got up and left.
What’s The Big Deal About This?
A hunger distraction caused Esau to have a brain cramp to the point that Esau gave up his blessings.
As the firstborn son, he would have had allotted to him a double portion of the paternal inheritance, he would become the priest or head of the family and would have inherited the judicial authority of his father.
But a distracted moment caused him to lose focus and a distraction out of control moment takes it all away.
It’s been said that If the enemy cannot have our heart, he’ll do his best to distract it.
Winston S. Churchill said, “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”
There are always distractions if we allow them.
But Now For Some Good News Medicine
Here Are A Few Ideas To Help Us In Dealing With Distractions
Overcoming Distractions
Identify specifically what it is that distracts us. We’re not all distracted by the same things.
In order to fix a problem, we have to identify the problem. So we identify things that hinders or distracts us from our goals.
Is it TV, electronics, social media, a significant other, laziness, lack of passion, clutter, co-workers, background noise, hunger, our kids, or having too many tasks?
Examination on how we spend our time is well and good, as long as there is a determination to deal with what is distracting us and causing us to be unproductive.
Eliminate Whatever Distractions We Can
Not all distractions are physical things, but once we identify what our distractions are, start by eliminating the ones that we can.
In the same way, we need to start getting rid of things that distract us.
If our goal is to lose weight, we need to finally decide to make healthy, smart food choices!
If we’re distracted by media, then we need to seriously consider making tough choices to curb what may have been out of control.
If certain people or places are a distraction – choices need to be made.
Maybe we need to avoid going to the mall at times because sometimes, it distracts us from sticking to our budget!
Monitor Our Thoughts
So often we are our own biggest distraction. Sometimes its what is going on inside our heads that is stealing our focus. Stress, worry, anxiety, fear, doubt, anger or frustration can easily set in and distract us.
Negative thoughts can be detrimental in so many ways. Not only will it steal our focus, but it leads to physical issues as well – headaches, sickness, fatigue, depression, and other things.
External distractions are one thing, but it’s those internal distractions that if we don’t get a handle on, can cause us the most harm.
The Bible even tells us that God wants to help us gain, find and live in peace.
Isaiah 26:3 People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole
There Are Good Distractions
We can take advantage of good distractions when they come.
Good distractions are those that steal our focus in a positive and healthy way. They even revitalize our energy, allowing us to refocus with a clearer mindset. These good distractions typically come in the form of a taking breaks to do something that will give us a positive boost.
Meditating, taking a walk, singing a song, laughter, writing, listening to music, eating a snack, reading, playing with our kids, etc.
Staying focused and overcoming distractions doesn’t mean all work and no play. It means doing what needs to be done to accomplish our goals, while also allowing room to regroup as needed. In fact, it is in our best interest to allow for good, healthy distractions.
It’s Never Too Late To Refocus
The good news is that it’s never too late to get back on track and redirect our focus.
Even if we let our distractions steer us off course, create rocky relationships, set us back months or years with our goals, cost us our money, or our peace – God is still there for us!
He is there to give us the strength we need to try again and move forward.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:1-2
We’re moving forward together.. no quitting……..2023 progress.. Less Distractions..
Dave
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