Episode #248 Peace, Trust, and Discovering God in a Distracted World – Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Hey friends, how recently was it that you realized you were doing something distracted? For me, it was literally minutes ago as I was opening up my computer to check on something and instead, a pop up drew my attention to something else. There are so many different things competing for our attention and our focus.

Those can be good things, like important priorities, and those can also be small, insignificant things like alerts and notifications on our phone. Even when they're insignificant, we can still be distracted.

If you've been listening to recent episodes, you know, we're in a series going back to the unforced rhythms of grace that God offers us. And part of how we're exploring that is through the lens of spiritual disciplines and how they can actually be delights that God brings into our lives. And I'm reading the book, Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. And there's a quote from his book that I want to share with you today.

He says “we live in a culture that does not value concentration. Distraction is the order of the day.”

Now, that feels true and very relevant and applicable to my experiences in the world. I'm sure it does to you, too.
But this book was first published in 1978.

And so the amount of distractions that our culture is pummeled with every day has only increased exponentially since then. And yet it was true back then, just as it is today.

It's hard to stay focused. It's hard to concentrate on what matters most.

And it's not just momentary distractions that are the problem. As I reflected on this and I started talking with God about it, I realized there are things that pull my attention.

That also pull my affection.
That pull my devotion.
That pull even my sense of dependence. Where I can be distracted by my reliance on other things.

But things don't have to stay that way. Even in a culture that doesn't celebrate concentration and looks for ways to add to the noise so that people can be distracted to this thing instead of that. We get to be those who have our attention focused on God.

In Isaiah 26:3, it says, “you keep him [or her] in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because they trust you.”

As I think about times in my life when I don't have perfect peace, oftentimes I can see a direct correlation to where my mind has been distracted.

Where my mind has not been stayed on or focused on God. And that has deteriorated the awareness I have of Him or the trust that I have in Him. And so it detracts and deteriorates my peace.

I've also been thinking about this simply in the context of wanting to stay aware of God. And so I took this question, and I talked with God a little bit more about it before recording this episode. And the question for today is:

God, where is distraction a problem for me? And what can I do about it?

And so as I was reflecting on this question personally, I brought it to God and I asked him, and he said, you're so easily focused on what is broken or what needs fixing. That distracts you sometimes, and you don't always notice how I'm working for good.

And so then I got to talk with God more about that.

And I say I got to because we get to. We don't have to beat ourselves up or worry about things that God brings to our attention. But we get to partner with God in what he's doing in the world, and that includes in what he's doing in our lives. And we get to receive more freedom from him.

And so I got to talk with God about ways I can practice a different habit. Of being more aware of how he is doing good. Of how he is using things for good. Of putting my awareness of problems in their proper place so that it doesn't distract me from what he wants to bring my attention to.

And so I share that as an example and an encouragement with you today. But I know that God has something he wants to talk with you about personally, and directly, and uniquely to you and your life and your relationship with him. And so here's that question one more time, so that you can take it to him.

God, where is distraction a problem for me? And what's one thing I can do about it?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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