Luke 1:38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
I recently experienced a distraction that distracted me from all my other distractions.
I was carrying some laundry downstairs and inadvertently missed the last step. Down I went…but not without a loud arrrrrg, baaaah and cry of Jesus help me!
I eventually made it to my knees and on to an upright position. But for the rest of the day, I had to sit still in a chair with an ice pack on my ankle and a heating pad on my back. Finding comfortability jumped to the top of my priorities. It took the place of baking cookies, putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house. My husband even refused to bring the boxes of Christmas decorations up from the basement! (In case I tried to push it).
As miserable as the week has been, I’m learning a few things. Like some of my “holiday activity” actually distracts me from what I want to focus on most. The birth of my Savior! I could decorate the house another day or days. My students survived the last week of classes without me bringing in homemade treats. And curtailing my penchant for shopping far more than I need to, has given me more time to contemplate. Pain can be a powerful reminder of what’s important.
Distractions can keep us from experiencing God’s higher purposes. Bob Goff writes in Undistracted, “The clarity of purpose, undistracted energy, selfless love, and unselfish pursuits you bring to the world will be your legacy. Everything else will look like a distraction by comparison.”
What if Mary had been distracted by what people would think of her when she said she was pregnant with God’s son? What if Joseph had been distracted with “doing the right and proper thing” because it made more sense than the angel’s words? And the shepherds. They should be lauded for being responsible, but when the angels told them to leave their flocks and fields, what if they demanded to first know why?
Friend, I pray this Christmas you declare war on distractions. Seek Jesus and his presence above all else. Then celebrate this most marvelous time of the year!