As a society…as a people…as believers…we are so distracted.
All the screens in our lives, continually pull us out of reality and into a world of fake…fake friendships, fake news, fake outrage, fake perfection…and a myriad of other types of fake.
With so many things vying for our attention, we are emotionally exhausted much of the time. I find myself wrestling with it every day. I wish I could say that I’m not caught up, but I am. I pray about it all the time and seek to break the ties I have with it, but then I need something and find myself tethered to my phone again. Every time I try to leave my phone in my bathroom for the day, I end up having to get it because I need it for this or that. Our home can’t receive WIFI because of location, so my phone is my internet. It’s also my timer, alarm, calendar, camera, email…it sometimes feels like a heavy burden to have on my shoulders. I want to “break up” with my phone, but how can I?
So, I battle the distraction, because if it’s near me then I pick it up without even realizing it.
I’m being really honest here. I know some of you may judge what I’m saying I struggle with but be honest…we all have something we struggle with. Maybe you’re a pro at not having your phone with you all the time…maybe you are better at disconnecting than I. Honestly, I hope you are.
That doesn’t change the reality that what I am struggling with is also the struggle of most other people too.
There must be a way to be less distracted. Now is the time to break up with it all. We must seek His face while He may be found. As our lives are inundated with live streaming wars and threats of wars, inflation, enemies within, etc. we must remember the Truth. We must focus our attention on praying His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
If we are to weather this storm, we must find FOCUS.
I know I wrote of focus a few weeks ago, but I really felt led to address it again…this time with screens in mind. I keep having a vision…
I see us holding a mirror up to ourselves. It’s not large and the view is small, so we are focused on a small portion of what’s around us…this represents the screens in our lives. If you flip that mirror around, you find it’s the kind that magnifies 3x…now all that you saw is closer and more focused, but still on worldly things…but then the mirror is taken and held toward heaven, and I see God shining into the mirror and His glory then flooding the earth…because we chose to magnify Him instead of ourselves.
This is a striking vision. What we magnify matters.
My question to you is this, “What are you magnifying today? Yourself? Earthly problems? God?” It matters. We must magnify the Lord in all things. I encourage you to make this choice today.
Lord, I chose to turn my focus upon You in all things. Help me to remain steadfast in turning the mirror of my heart toward You so Your glory will be magnified on the earth. Forgive my lack of focus and restore it to me now, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves. The poor will see and be glad- you who seek God, may your hearts live! The Lord hears the needy and does not despise His captive people. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell there. Psalm 69:30-36
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17
365 Days in the Presence 