We are in Tampa now, the last stop on our road trip around the country. Earlier this week we were in Miami, in a hotel very near Miami International Airport, where every few minutes another plane takes off. As it takes off, it flies right over the hotel where we were staying. And it's loud. Very loud.
Fortunately that doesn't go on all night. But with great frequency and regularity, all day long, plane after plane flies right overhead. It's very distracting.
On Tuesday, after I did the final touches to class set-up and took attendance in Al's classes, I spent the rest of my day [attempting] to catch up on some Bible study, and also [attempting to concentrate on] the pastor's message from last Sunday. I say attempting to because those planes were very loud and very distracting.
In addition, just when I was really digging into my Bible study, the housekeeper showed up to service the room. In most hotels where we have stayed, the housekeeper can clean the bathroom, make the bed, replenish the coffee, and empty the trash in less than five minutes. Not this housekeeper! It took twenty-five minutes for her to do the same tasks. It was very distracting.
And she was wearing some very over-powering perfume. That, too, was distracting, as well as being the cause of a great deal of sneezing!
As we have been traveling around the country, I have observed a number of distracted drivers. They are eating while they drive. Or they are talking on the phone. Or they are texting. That last one causes me the most consternation. Even though it's a distraction. And even though it's against the law. And even though it defies common sense. Still people text while they drive. Young mothers with babies strapped into car seats texting as they drive down a busy interstate. Teenagers. Businessmen. Truck drivers. Young and old. Male and female. All texting as they drive through the city or through the countryside or down busy interstate highways. Really, is anything so important that it can't wait just a few minutes until you get out of traffic? Is that text so important that it's worth risking your life or someone else's? Texting and driving is a major distraction. And it's so much more than that. It's dangerous.
We had our first near-accident of the trip yesterday. Thankfully it's just an almost-accident, rather than being much worse. As we were leaving Miami, it was dark and raining. Was that other driver texting? I don't know. Was he more focused on his morning coffee and biscuit than on his driving? I don't know. What I do know is that because one driver apparently wasn't paying attention, another swerved into our lane to avoid him, and we were very nearly hit. Just inches away from disaster because somebody was distracted.
Distractions are part of the fabric of our lives. Airplanes. Housekeepers. Other drivers. The telephone. The doorbell. The ding from the cellphone. The neighbors. The neighbors' children. The television. Social media. Politicians. On and on the list could go.
What are we to do? How do we deal with the distractions of life?
While we can't go through life with blinders on, we must learn to focus. You have perhaps heard the saying, "wherever you are, be all there." That's good advice. If you're driving, focus on your driving. If you're with your children, give them your undivided attention. If you're studying, tune out the distractions and focus on the subject at hand.
We must learn to focus. We must learn to prioritize our time. And while we certainly need to be aware of what's going on in the world around us, we need to learn how to tune out the noise. It doesn't come naturally to most of us; focus is a learned behavior. It's something we must practice.
Learning to focus starts at the beginning of each day when we deliberately choose to focus our attention on God and on His Word. When we make a fresh commitment for the day.
Staying focused may mean we have to say "no" to some things. It may mean we have to give up some things, even some good things, so that we can focus on the best things. It may mean some time away from the television or from social media.
Staying focused means that we deliberately set aside time for Bible study. It means that we give time and attention, not just to reading the Word, but that we also give time and attention to actually studying it.
Dealing with life's distractions requires focus. And discipline. It may require a list of priorities for the day.
Above all, living a life of focus and dealing with distractions requires the help of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't come naturally. But as we focus our attention on Jesus, His Spirit at work within us will guide us in dealing with the distractions of life and will lead us to a life of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB)
Even in the flight path!
"....fixing our eyes on Jesus....." (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)
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