Stay on target … stay on target …
I’ve been studying martial arts since I could walk, and one of the most important principles, regardless of your style, is this: if you’re just trying to not get hit, you’ll lose every time. You have to be focused on winning the fight. Conquering distractions works in much the same way.
Let’s learn from Martha. In Luke chapter 10 we see Martha being a good host to Jesus. She's making food, she's washing dishes; she is on the ball. SO much so that she loses sight of why she’s doing it all. Instead of focusing on the joy of serving others, she got distracted. She started thinking about who wasn’t helping, how much she did around there, how good she was. Martha began to exhibit the classic symptoms of distraction: impatient, indignant, self-righteous, and most of all … Angry with Jesus.
That’s right, we can get angry with the savior himself, and for no good reason. All because we got distracted from what’s important and delude ourselves into thinking whatever is wasting our time, is important. This sounds a lot like the prodigal son to me!
No, not that one, not the one that left, squandered his money on loose living, and came crawling back. The son who really gets lost in that parable is the one who stays home. He lost sight of the importance of his brother and was distracted by his own meager inconveniences. He then was indignant with his brother’s treatment, self-righteously defended his own actions, and was very angry with his father!
Distractions can make us mad a God for no good reason. However, the best news is that this condition, though it can be terminal, is easily treatable! We see a very different Martha presented in John 11, when Jesus arrives shortly after the death of Lazarus. Martha runs to meet Jesus even before the enters the town. She immediately greets him and expresses faith in his ability to heal. Then casually throws around the doctrine of resurrection. This is a hotly debated topic of the day which not all scholars agree on and this woman (with no formal education) nonchalantly references it as an assumed fact! Then Jesus says he’ll raise Lazarus and she just says, “Okay.” Then makes the great confession! She was paying attention, she was listening, she was learning from what the master taught. Distractions aren’t permanent.
It’s easy to say paying attention means keeping your eyes on Jesus. Just focus on Jesus, keep Christ at the forefront of your mind. That’s easy to say, but what does it mean? I propose the solution is simple. Here’s the short version: Jesus = Other people. Stay focused on serving others and choosing what’s best for them, and recognize distractions when they come up. I’ll unpack why Jesus = Other people in the next one. God speed!
Sound off in the comments! What's your greatest distraction?
Don't forget about the Man Cards project! It's still not too late to support the coolest deck of cards in the world! Please also share this link! https://igg.me/at/mancards/x/16023848