As I sit here on this late afternoon of the 4th of July, I’m happy to still be in my pjs, sitting in my favorite chair, typing away on my laptop. Rather than craving the excitement of a barbecue or other gathering, I’ve been relishing the opportunity to play catch up. You know what I mean about playing catch up — catch up on your favorite tv shows; catch up with a friend; catch up on some laundry; catch up on some sleep (that’s an especially good one); or catch up on some work, like I’m doing. Playing catch up is a result of prioritizing something else. And unfortunately, in a day and age with countless things to do and even more things to distract us (hello, social media), this can leave us feeling like we’re constantly behind and having to catch up. Let’s not forget to mention the run-down feeling of exhaustion from the constant invisible hamster wheel we’re on.
Research published in the Journal of Happiness Studies showed that it takes about a week to completely disconnect from work. So if you’re taking a one-week vacation, you’ll be starting to unwind just when it’s time to return home. Hopefully, you won’t be more tired than when you left from all of the activities you tried to squeeze into that one week — catching up on all of the fun things you haven’t been able to do because of school and work (or maybe even Covid). My catch up is due to something else — self-imposed pressure resulting from my own procrastination and disobedience. There, I said it. God told me to write a book, several years ago. I wrote in my journal about writing it. I even talked to others about writing it. I did a lot of different things except write it, because I got distracted.
A distraction is defined as, “a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.”1 Distractions come in all shapes and sizes, some self-imposed and others not. It can be an unexpected phone call from someone that you don’t let go to voicemail or a status update on Facebook that leads to an hour of aimlessly scrolling. A distraction can come in the form of depression and anxiety that won’t allow you to focus clearly. It can also be the sickness or death of someone close, or a child’s problems in school. Distraction can simply be procrastination because we are overwhelmed by the aforementioned things or unmentioned ones. No matter what the nature of the distraction, recovering from them and getting back on course can be extremely challenging, especially when we beat ourselves up about it.
Our world is very linear-minded and thinks in terms of one step forward/back progression towards success. God, on the other hand, is not linear. He’s multi-dimensional, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. That means that His paths for us are the same way. During seasons like this, when my life has been plagued with a lot of distractions that were beyond my control, God reminds me of this and tells me not to beat myself up. Holy Spirit whispers softly to me that the voice of guilt, shame and self-blame resonating in my mind is not His, but the voice of the accuser that needs to be cast down (2 Corinthians 10:5-6). Even if the distractions were self-imposed, God’s goodness and mercy shall follow me (Psalm 23:6). I cry out to God, and He hears me and delivers me from my fears (Psalms 34:6; 91:15).
In His Sovereignty, God has already seen my distractions and His plan has back-up plans. Jeremiah 29:11 NLT says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'” While I can’t see it all because of my linear perspective, His multi-dimensional, kairos time keeper has it all under control with a God-ordained bridge to get me back on track up ahead. I’m thankful and repentant. Instead of trusting in myself and my own timetable, I put my trust back in God where it belongs (Proverbs 3:5-6). I take a deep breath and exhale. I’m still working, but I’m also resting in His perfect peace. My experience has changed the way I look at things, therefore, it has brought me good (Romans 8:28). Praise be to God who is in control, no matter what it looks or feels like!
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” — Isaiah 55:8
For more about distractions, here’s a good read: Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy. by Bob Goff.
1 Apple Inc., 2005–2020