Focused or Distracted?

One of the first tasks today, as it is every day, was to take the dog outside to do her "business". This morning, as we do every morning, we went out, not for exercise or playtime, but with that sole purpose in mind.

This morning the task was accomplished with great efficiency.  Yesterday, not so much!  Yesterday there was a distraction. We have a neighborhood bunny who spends a great deal of time in the vacant lot across the street.  The same vacant lot Molly heads for every morning. As soon as Molly saw that bunny, any thought of our original purpose was lost.  Fortunately (for the bunny), the bunny wasn't tethered by a leash and was able to run full throttle into the underbrush. Eventually Molly gave up looking for the bunny and returned to the task at hand.  Accomplishing that task took much longer than it needed to, all because she was distracted.

If I'm really honest with myself, I would have to admit that this is very much an illustration of my life.  Perhaps you could say the same.  We get up and begin our day with a purpose, with tasks to be accomplished, with goals for our day, maybe even with a list. But then something happens, and we are distracted. Maybe the distractions are even worthwhile and/or necessary tasks. Often the distractions are not worthwhile endeavors, just time-wasters. But at the end of the day, the result is the same:  the original purpose, the list, remains undone.

I think this may be even more true in the spiritual realm than in the realm of our daily to-do list. We are committed to staying on track spiritually, to living a focused life, to having quality time with the Lord, to reading and memorizing Scripture. We set goals to be accomplished.  We commit to a certain time in prayer or to a specific Scripture to be studied and/or memorized, as examples. And then "life" happens and we are distracted. The result is, at the end of the day, we still have not done what we set out to do.

What's the solution? We certainly can't go through life as automated robots, "performing" only the tasks on "the list". We must be flexible to respond to life as it happens.......to the child who is suddenly running an unexplained fever, to the phone call from a friend or family member with a need, to fatigue, to any number of things as they happen. But how do we maintain our focus, our purpose, in spite of this? How do we handle the so-called tyranny of the urgent?

So often my life is more like "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:19)

But what I want it to be is "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith". (Hebrews 12:1-2)

The answer to our dilemma is found there in that verse in Hebrews.  We must "fix our eyes on Jesus."  We simply are unable to live out the Christian life in our own strength.  It is only because of His strength, through His Spirit living within us.  We can stay focused when we allow His Spirit to guide us.  When our attention is fixed on Him.

The next time you find yourself getting distracted, why not take a minute to refocus.  To fix your eyes on Jesus. 

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."  (Philippians 4:13 NASB)