It’s not uncommon to hear about people who have car or pedestrian accidents due to being distracted. If staying ‘in touch’ is really all that urgent, maybe we should consider getting a ‘”seeing eye person” to guide us safely through our day!
Of course, the truth is staying THAT much in touch is not only unnecessary but it robs us of staying in touch with our surroundings! Have you ever had someone come to visit you and then proceed to spend most of their time checking their phone for messages? It’s not a feeling of being valued or honored is it? You both miss out on the fullness of each other’s company when one’s attention is constantly drawn away. I confess, I’ve been guilty of “being there but not all there.” It seems I have to continually train my wandering mind to stay focused in the moment.
Most of us would likely confess that we do the same with God. We start with a prayer, praising Him or interceding for others, and before we know it, our mind has wandered off track to some completely unrelated matter. And we find that our attempt to enter God’s presence and draw close to Him has fallen short. As a result , we miss out on the benefits of His presence. We trade time with our Creator for some whimsical thought or needless worry.
If you’ve ever made a purchase that didn’t satisfy you know the feeling of missing out. You realize it was a bad trade of hard-earned money for something of lesser value. What do you do in such a situation? If you can’t exchange the item, hopefully you learn from the experience and make a wiser decision next time. Unfortunately, we can exchange or redeem the time we’ve wasted. It will never return to us. But we can make better decisions. If your mind wanders while in the presence of a friend, apologize and redress your full attention to the person.
Do the same thing with God. Distractions happen. Acknowledge it and get back in the game with Him. He IS your seeing eye person and will guide you to finding meaning and joy in your life.
“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:5