Watch Out for Distractions
I know a young driver who recently
had what fortunately turned out to be only a minor mishap. I understand that he
was reaching over to steady a bag in the passenger seat of his vehicle when he
ran off the side of the road, slightly damaging his truck. Such momentary
distractions while driving have resulted in much more serious accidents at
times, even deadly ones. Many of us had to learn that lesson at some point
after we first hit the road as licensed drivers, sometimes having to learn the
hard way. No matter how skilled we may be at navigating a car, all it takes is
a little distraction to cause us to lose our focus and end up in an accident.
These days cell phones are a prominent culprit, but it can also be simply
looking away for a moment in order to adjust the radio, correct a child, grab a
cup, or talk to a passenger. It doesn’t take much and it doesn’t take long, but
the effects can be devastating. Hopefully we have learned to keep our eyes on
the road and not to allow anything to draw our attention away from the
important task of driving.
We also have to watch out for
whatever might distract us as we seek to follow Jesus. It isn’t always the
obvious temptations, the moral failings, or the enemy attacks that throw us off
track. Sometimes it can simply be something that takes our eyes off Jesus or
away from the path on which He is leading us. It may not even be a bad thing.
However, it is something or someone that deflects our attention away from our main
task and mission as a follower of Jesus and gets us focused elsewhere. Before
we realize it, we find ourselves off the narrow road trying to find our way
back. Or we may even end up stuck in a ditch or plowed into a tree as we survey
the damage and seek a way out.
Jesus seemed to be warning about
the possibility and effects of such distractions in the parable of the sower
when He referred to how “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of
riches” can hinder God’s Word from bearing fruit in our lives (Matthew 13:22).
Paul also pointed to such a danger, advocating that we follow His example of
keeping focused on the “one thing” while we “press toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). He also
warned Timothy to be “a good soldier of Jesus Christ”, including not getting
too entangled in the affairs of this life (II Timothy 2:3-4). We have a Savior
to follow, a calling to fulfill, and a mission to accomplish – we dare not let
anything distract us from it.
Nevertheless, it can be easy to
lose our focus. We get caught up in the necessary routines of life and lose sight
of what is most important. We get to looking at the visible, here-and-now and
forget about the invisible realities related to eternity. We get busy carrying
out our other roles in life and forget that we are soldiers of Christ involved
in a battle for souls. We get distracted by politics, jobs, family, or sports.
Don’t get me wrong – those aspects of our lives can be important and valid
parts of the good road on which Jesus calls us to travel. However, they can
also become distractions if we allow them to get out of their proper place.
Are we letting anything cause us to
take our eyes off Jesus and His purposes for us? Keep your eyes on the road.
Don’t let anything distract you from “looking unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
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