Renewal

Distractions

Are you easily disctrcted?

Verse of the Day

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Matthew 6:33

Today’s Devotional

I tried something this morning.  I was desperate for some time alone with God, so instead of doing my meditation practice seated on my comfy couch, I knelt on the floor and put my head down.  And to be honest, I felt like a weirdo.  But after a moment, I settled in, and tried to bring my mind and heart to a place of being near to God.

But then my little dog, Harley (pictured above), came into the room and saw that I was on the floor.  If mommy is on the floor, it’s playtime…right?  He came over and put his paw on my head.  He smelled my hair.  He pawed at any part of my head that he could reach to try to get my attention.  It was all I could do to ignore him.

And then I realized what was happening.  That scenario is a picture of my spiritual journey.  There are always going to be distractions.  And I can give those distractions power by giving them my attention.  Or I can ignore them and focus instead on what is more precious.  More valuable.  More long-term over what seems immediately important.

And guess what?  After a minute or so of ignoring Harley, he left me alone and jumped on the couch and took a nap.  He didn’t need anything RIGHT THEN.  Anything he does need can be handled after my time with the Father.

How often does worry, stress, anxiety, a long to-do list, pride, or fear behave exactly the way Harley did in our minds?  How often do we tell ourselves, “I must do these five things first and then I’ll spend time with God” and then it never happens?

When will we decide to obey the command to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously” and decide to trust God that what He says at the end of that verse is true, which is, “and he will give you everything you need”?

Listen, I’m preaching to myself here, so if I sound passionate it’s because I want to learn this lesson for myself.  I want to become so devoted to God that there is no distraction great enough to pull me away from time with my Father.

There is no better way to be renewed, day by day, than by spending time with God.  In His Word.  In prayer.  In meditation. In praise.  In gratitude.  In journaling my heart to Him on paper.  Renewal comes from only one Source.  I need to prioritize spending time with the Source, and not just because of the desired renewal. But because He is God and wants me to be with Him.

Journal Prompts

Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.

What are your distractions? How good are you at ignoring them?

By your actions, what is more important than spending time with God?

How can you practice ignoring your distractions?  How can you seek God above all else?

How does spending time with your Father (who loves you so dearly) renew you?