How easy is it to become distracted in our modern world? There are more things to keep us busy and occupied than ever before. We have television, games on our computers, tablets, and phones, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, movies, video games, and a number of sources of entertainment in our modern world. We also have our jobs which we work hard at to get a promotion, exercise regimens, clubs/organizations we belong to, and any other hobbies we may have. With so much going on, it can be easy to lose sight of what’s important. Isn’t that exactly what the devil wants? Satan must be thrilled at the number of ways he has to tempt us into investing our time in things other than God.

When was the last time you sat in silence and thought about life or spent an hour in prayer and reflection? It has certainly been awhile for me. Being so easily distracted and having too much going on not only makes it difficult to give our best in the many human relationships we have, but it also leaves less time for us to cultivate our relationship with God. As Matthew 6:21 states, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We will end up caring more about the things we are investing our time in than about the things we are not investing our time in. This is as true for relationships as it is for hobbies or work or anything else. We can give lip service concerning our priorities all day long. We know that our priorities should look something like this: our relationship with God, then our relationship with our spouse, then with our children/other family, and only after that comes other things such as work or hobbies. But if most of us are being honest with ourselves, it’s a struggle. There is often a mismatch between what our priorities should be and what they are.

Being mindful of what we are investing in can be one of the best things we can do for our relationships and our walk with God. Beginning to think of some of our modern conveniences like television, Facebook, and similar things as distractions can be difficult as they have become so ingrained in our culture, but when you think about it, that’s exactly what they are. My wife and I are extremely guilty of watching tv while we eat dinner and not saying a word to each other. We’ve made these things such an integral part of our lives that it’s difficult to imagine getting along without them. A line from the classic Hitchcock movie, Psycho, has stuck with me. Norman Bates may have said it best when he opined, “a hobby should pass the time, not fill it.” The same can be said of any of our modern distractions.

Are you struggling with distractions in your relationship? Are you looking for help in this area? Don’t hesitate to give me a call at 217-423-6955 – I’d be happy to talk with you and help you to find some new strategies for your life and your family.

Also, join us this weekend in worship as we begin a new series “The Enemy Doesn’t Change” – we’ll be exploring the scriptures and selected letters from C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters”. Pastor Doug begins with a message called “The Art of Misdirection” and will clue us in to the many ways in which the enemy seeks to pull us away from our relationship with God. I hope you’ll join us.

God Bless,
Jarvis