Goodbye Distraction: Learning to Live in the Present MomentНамуна

Over four decades ago, Richard Foster wrote his classic Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth. In a recently updated Special Anniversary Edition of the book, Foster shares his thoughts on how contemporary culture has changed since the original writing of the book in 1978. He observed the following:

"There is one major difference that has occurred in the past forty years that does indeed impinge upon the spiritual life. I can state it in one word: distraction. Distraction is the primary spiritual problem in contemporary culture."

Of all the problems Foster could have given, why did he choose distraction?

Distraction threatens our ability to be fully present in the things that matter most in our lives. Present to God. Present to the people around us. And present to the condition of our own soul. Sadly, when distraction becomes our new normal, we end up leading fractured lives, rendering us ill-equipped and incapable of being present at the moment.

As an apprentice of Jesus, our lives are set apart for an eternal purpose. Jesus invites us to surrender each moment to the will of the Father, making the most of the time we are given here on earth. How we choose to spend our time and who (or what) we give our attention to will largely determine the person we will become.

Jesus once told a story about a farmer who scattered seeds that fell on different types of soil. The seed fell along the path, among the rocks, in the thornbushes, and on the good soil. In His explanation of the story to His disciples, He said that the seed that had fallen among the thorns represented people who "hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." (See Mark 4:18-19 NIV)

When we become distracted by the cares of this world, we fail to properly steward the time that God has given us. In his letter to the church in Ephesus, the apostle Paul writes, "be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil." (See Ephesians 5:15-16) Echoing Paul's message, the Psalmist prays, "teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart." (See Psalm 90:12)

Over the next few days, we will explore three of the most common distractions we face in today's culture: accomplishment, accumulation, and acceptance.

Today, take a few moments in the quiet with God to reflect on who or what is distracting you from being fully present to Him, others, and yourself.