Distraction drives busyness and is a major cause of stress, burnout and anxiety, which leads to feelings of being overwhelmed, maxed-out and strained to the point of breaking or snapping, like a rubber band pulled too tightly. One of the meanings of the word distraction comes from a French term related to a cruel form of torture. This medieval French torture was set aside for the very worst offenders. The offender had their four limbs tied to four horses… you can figure out what happened next; they got dis-tracted! Distraction must be conquered or it will conquer us! We inevitably move towards whatever we are focusing on. This is why and how focus equates to traction.Jesus tells us to have a “single” or “clear” eye in Matthew 6:22. It means whole, healthy, clear, undivided. Jesus is stressing the importance of focus and clear vision in fulfilling our divine purpose in life. We are not to give place to distractions that would deter, slow or hinder us in our race. When sending out the 70 disciples in Luke 10:4, he warns them, “And don’t get distracted from my purpose by anyone you meet along the way.” We must not allow anyone or anything to deter us, to pull us away from our primary purpose, our mission, our destiny. Paul gives us some keys to combatting distraction in Philippians 4:6-8: • continual/abiding prayer, speaking to God at all times, including Him in every detail and even mundane moments of your life, and especially in times of difficulty • overflowing gratitude, maintaining a posture of thankfulness in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18) • fixing/fastening our thoughts on heavenly things (summarized) • praising Him alwaysA “pure” heart is an undivided heart, a heart that has a single focus and desire, without divided loyalties or competing interests. In the same way gold is purified by melting and dredging the impurities that rise to the surface repeatedly until the gold becomes transparent and reflective, so our hearts are purified by the all-consuming fire of God’s love, until the impurities are completely removed and our hearts are fully his, without wavering, without compromise, and without dis-traction. We are given perhaps the greatest visual lesson in contrasting distraction and focus in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus visits the town of Bethany and is invited into the home of Martha, who has a sister named Mary.Depending on the bible translation, you will typically find these four terms describing Martha: distracted, much serving, worried, and troubled. We can likewise either get fooled into busyness, pulled apart and fragmented by the many distractions demanding our attention and stealing our restful focus on Jesus, or in contrast, we can discover the “one thing most important by choosing to sit at [Jesus’s] feet.” This restful posture of undistracted, undivided focus and attention at the feet of Jesus must be chosen. It must first be seen as the “good part”, the “most important thing”, the “one thing needed/necessary”, then we will be empowered to lay aside all earthly distractions and give the Lord our loving, affectionate, wholehearted attention and devotion, “absorbing every revelation he share[s]”. Obviously we have responsibilities and obligations, things that require our time, energy, and attention (work/jobs, raising children/family, household chores/duties, etc.), but even in the midst of all these things, it is possible and we are instructed to live with a single-mindedness, a wholehearted devotion, an undivided focus and attention on the Lord, on heavenly realities, and on His eternal purposes as we live out our time on earth as resident aliens and sojourners, with the revelation that we are citizens of heaven (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:9-10, 13-16, 24-27; 12:23; 13:14; Ephesians 2:18-19; Philippians 3:20) Let's determine to choose the "good part"!
