Cure For Distraction

I have a small hand mirror that I use when I put on my mascara.
My routine is done on autopilot.
As I listen to news radio, I get ready for the day.
Most mornings are exactly the same.

However, I changed it up a bit.
I did the absurd.
I tried to put on my mascara using my cell phone.
Distracted in my own thoughts, I mistakenly thought my cell phone was my mirror.

Here I am, mascara wand in my left hand and cell phone in my right.
I laughed when I saw the black screen.
I looked down and saw that sure enough I picked up the wrong thing.
They were not the same color or the same shape.

I was simply distracted.
I was thinking about too many things without focusing on the task at hand.
Especially for those things we do all the time, we tend to do them mindlessly.
We tend to do them without thinking.

We get terribly distracted.

Think about when you are on the computer.
You set out to read an article ,which has a link, or two imbedded in the text.
You click on one of the links to further your knowledge.
That article has a link that would enhance the information for even greater understanding.

After a while, it is as if you are in a fun house filled with mirrors.
You can see yourself down the line of reflections.
You know you are standing at a certain point, but you have gone down so many rabbit holes.
By that time you have taken so many tangents it is hard to remember where you started.

We are a culture filled with distractions.
We are a culture of short attention spans.
We are a culture that cannot sit still for long.
We are a culture that detests silence.

We are the proverbial person who searches for their glasses, which are on top of his head.
We are the harried woman who puts her car keys in the refrigerator.
We are the tired mother who forgets she left the diaper bag on the roof of the car.
We are the weary parent who falls asleep while reading a book to their child.

We are tired.
We are worn out.
We fail to prioritize.
We are severely distracted.

Peace seems elusive.
Stillness is merely a concept.
Relaxation is just a pipe dream.
Focusing is a lost art.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Martha was distracted.
Her distraction caused her to complain and point fingers.
Her distraction put her at odds with her sister.
In desperation, her distraction led her to involve Jesus.

We all are Martha from time to time.
That is not wrong, nor is it a bad thing.
Jesus never rebuked Martha for her busyness.
Jesus’ gentle admonition to Martha addressed the issue of her distraction.

Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.
Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.
What did Mary choose that was better?
Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Him.

Sitting at Jesus’ feet gave Mary a different perspective.
There she learned to be still.
There she learned to listen.
There she found peace.

Mary chose what was better.
What Mary chose will be with her forever.
The truths she learned there, sitting at Jesus’ feet, seeped down into her heart.
There they took root to bring forth a harvest of peace.

One day an expert was speaking to a group to business students, and to drive home a point, he used an illustration that the students will never forget. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was onto him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good!” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!” “No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.” (Dr. Stephen R. Covey)

The question that begs to be answered is: What are the big rocks in your life?
What must you do first in order to make sure those important things get done?
We could get up and hit the ground running each morning.
We will burn ourselves out in no time.

What if we put a big rock in the jar first before we even started our day?
What if we spent time with the Lord?
What if we sat at His Feet reading His Word?
What if we let that Word seep into our heart?

We would notice that we are more at peace.
We would notice that we enjoy the silence of listening prayer.
We would realize that stillness must be purposefully put into our day.
We would see that we are less distracted.

Mary chose the better thing.
Do you?
Are you taking the path of busyness with no time for reflection?
Or are you at the feet of the One who calms your soul?

Choose the better thing.
It will never be taken away from you.