FIRMLY FOCUS
Have you ever begun a project, only to get distracted by a million different things? One morning I decided to clean the garage. While cleaning the garage, I decided the grass needed mowing so I left the garage and began mowing. While mowing the grass, I noticed that a tree limb was down so I grabbed the chain saw and began cutting. Three hours went by and Deb came home, only to say, "I thought you were going to clean the garage." This is a great visual of how we start our day off with good intentions of accomplishing something, only to let people, circumstances and distractions get us off task.
Let's talk about 5 distractions that we must all be aware of:
1. Other People--There will always be people in our lives who feel as though what they want us to do is what we should do. On that note, we must lay out boundaries so that others do not get us off course. Stay in tune with God so that, while you may listen to others, it does mean that you must choose their direction.
2. Other Priorities--In order to remain undistracted, we must know what our priorities are. After God, your very next priority is your marriage. Many people get that confused with children, church and career. In order for God and marriage to be your top priorities you must stay in tune with those relationships and that takes time. You must keep those as a priority as life will always throw you other priorities that fight for space.
3. Other Solutions--As Christians, we have not learned to turn to God as the ultimate solution. Instead, we look for answers everywhere else and turn to God last. When we choose to do that, we risk making the right choices for solving problems on a daily basis. Turning to friends, co-workers and extended family could create unwanted chaos that leads us down a path of other distractions. Learn to turn to God first--Wait and Listen--He will give you answers!!
4. Other Commitments--We live in an overcommitted society that is searching for value and self-worth. This leads us to say "yes" to things that stretch us too thin, leaving us no time left for the most important things. We, therefore, rob ourselves of joy and peace that comes in doing a few things well versus many things average.
5. Other Desires--We remember in our early years of marriage that we could hardly be content with wanting what others had. We were distracted by the kind of house others lived in, the kind of car they drove, the furniture that sat on and the trips they took. If we are not careful, we will lose the fact that the greatest things in life are not what we can see, but what we invest in.
Take heart from Nehemiah, a great man in the Bible. God called him to rebuild the Jerusalem wall. Many distractions came his way, however, his motto from Nehemiah 6:3, "I'm doing a great work here, I cannot come down." Because of his commitment to stay the course, the wall was built in record time and many benefited.