Episode #270 Brain Fog and Scattered Thoughts: Finding Focus in a Distracted World – Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Hey friends, it's Jen. Let me ask you, when is the last time you felt truly focused? Between phone notifications and family needs and work demands, and the general noise of life, concentration can kind of feel like a lost art. I know this struggle. I'll sit down with my Bible or a good book or my computer to get some focused writing done, and within minutes, my mind is bouncing between the laundry and tomorrow's meeting and that weird thing I said three years ago.

Today we're focusing on finding focus and we're continuing our conversation about Richard Foster's book, the Celebration of Discipline, in which he says, “We live in a culture that does not value concentration. Distraction is the order of the day."

Distraction is the order of the day. And I even think about this in terms of multitasking, which I still kind of think I can do, but from what I understand is actually not even a real thing. We're just bouncing our focus very quickly between multiple things in a short amount of time. But what's interesting here is that Richard Foster wrote his book, the first version, and that quote, back in the 1970s. So before smartphones and social media or Netflix. And if distraction was already the order of the day back then, I wonder what he would say about today.

The discipline of study, and not just studying the written Bible, but study in general requires concentration. It's the ability to focus our attention deliberately on something worthy of our mental energy. Which as we talked about in the last episode, sometimes we can all let our brain spiral on things that are not worth that energy. But when it comes to intentional concentration, that's something we can develop with practice, which is good news. We don't have to be born with it. In Isaiah 26:3, it says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."

Peace comes when our minds are anchored rather than scattered and not just anchored on anything but on God because we trust him. And so the encouragement that I wanna share with you today is that concentration isn't something you have or you don't have. It's something you can grow in little by little. And God is patient with us in the learning process.

Here are a few practical steps that have helped me develop better concentration:

1. First, start small. Five minutes of focused attention is better than an hour of distracted effort.

2. Second, be kind to yourself when your mind wanders. Simply notice the wandering and gently redirect your attention back to what you were studying.

3. And third, remember that this is not just about willpower—it's about grace. We can ask God to help us focus our minds on what matters most.

Something that's helpful for me is literally keeping a physical notebook nearby. I've tried it with my phone. I get pulled into social media and different alerts. Not helpful. But it could even be a piece of paper so that when to-do lists or distractions pop up into my mind, I can simply write them down and refer back to them at a later time and stay focused on what's at hand.

The beautiful thing about growing in concentration is that it doesn't just make us better Bible readers. It actually transforms how we engage in many different areas of our lives. Because we can be more present with our children or our spouses, our friends, and we can be more aware of God's presence there with us in even ordinary moments.
And so here's a question to take to God today on this topic:

God, what obstacles to concentration do I face and how can I work with you to develop a more focused mind?

Have a 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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