Living Undistracted

                                                               

As I rounded the corner of what I thought was the street I lived on during the final moments of my morning run, glancing around for a second I became utterly disoriented and realized I had turned a block too soon and was actually not headed toward home. It was in that moment of realization that the Lord whispered to my spirit, "When you're distracted, you are disoriented and not always headed in the right direction." This was a wakeup call for me as I grasped the spiritual aspect of living a life full of distractions-we might sidetrack from our destination and wind up on a path we hadn’t intended.
The Webster’s dictionary defines the word “distract” in this manner, "To turn aside, divert, to draw the attention or mind to a different object, to stir up or confuse with conflicting emotions or motives, literally to draw apart." It's this "drawing apart" that has been on my heart for some time, so when our pastor recently asked the church family to commit to fasting and praying on Wednesdays with him for an indefinite amount of time it was the beginning I needed to establish a more intentional life.
                I desired for my children to participate in the weekly fast as well, but I find it somewhat easy to give up food, but technology on the hand is a whole different story! So, with that, I decided to establish a “no technology” Wednesday. A day in which the kids and I would commit to living hands free from our computers, tablets, and electronic games in order to be more intentional about spending time together and praying. It was my way of offering my children the gift of my time and presence for an entire day. It also allowed for unhindered focused prayer times-instead of seeking the latest Facebook status, I sought the Lord.
                Living in this technology obsessed world, we are constantly plugged in and distracted from life going on around us. As I scribble my thoughts for this blog, I am sitting in the dentist office. Everyone around me is plugged in to some type of device ranging from tablets and phones to Ipods. I appear to be the only person not in touch with the techy society as a paperback book  begging to be read lies open on my lap as I scrawl words rapidly on a piece of scrap paper. As I glance around the room, I wonder if the father with his two daughters even realizes he is missing precious moments to talk with his girls and etch their beautiful faces into his memory instead of fixating on the screen of his phone? I wonder if his daughters secretly long to have a conversation with their father, but find it much easier to stay tucked away behind the hot pink tablets fashioning words to post on Facebook or their latest tweet? I’m certainly not saying I’ve never been that distracted parent. Sadly, I can admit it all too often hardly having the ability to even sit down at a restaurant without “checking in” on FB-like anyone cares. But the truth of the matter is, people do care. The ones who care are the friends or family sitting right across the table from us. When did our society become more interested in statuses than our loved ones? They are more important and deserving of our undistracted attention and when it comes to our kids, love is spelled T-I-M-E.

As parents we hold the key to creating the memories our children will take with them into adulthood. How we spend our moments are adding up and time with our children is passing quickly. Will they lovingly recall parents who were engaged, always willing to offer their undivided attention? Or will their memories be of a family who sat in the same room together each absorbed in their own version of technology while precious God moments slipped by? If we truly want to know the children God has blessed us with, we must put down the phones and stop escaping behind computer screens and embrace real life happening right in front of us. In a few short years our children will stand on a high school graduation stage ready to embark on their adult lives and for those parents who chose to live intentionally, they’ll be able to say, “I embraced the time I was given with my child, not always perfectly, but I have no regrets, I know my child and I invested in them and loved them to the best of my ability.” For those who spent their child’s years glued to a screen…well, they will eventually come to a devastating realization and the clock simply can’t be turned back. So, I conclude with Ann Voskamp, “I want to slow down, and taste life, give thanks and see God.”

As I write, I’m taking necessary steps to live a “hands free” life and it certainly is challenging. In my attempt to draw apart from technology, I have become more aware of the incessant interference  of my life with the constant bleeping of my phone beckoning me to answer that text, inquire as to who sent me a FB message, and to check my mail. The first thing I did was turn off my email notifications. Honestly, my life does not need to be interrupted by another offer from Groupon! We must intentionally starve those distractions in order to live intentionally. If you don’t starve the distractions, you’re starving your life of the “realness” going on around you. My second step was to implement one day per week to live purposely away from the hype, secluded away from the false images of Facebook and the internet that are major consumptions of time. I am convicted by the Proverbs 31 woman (whom I long to be) as it is written of her, “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness (Pr 31:27). “The bread of idleness” literally means, “Having eyes looking everywhere.” What we focus on matters and I believe many of us are so distracted devouring the bread of idleness while our spirits are starving to death. We have neglected the true Bread of Life who promised us we’d never hunger instead exchanging it for the lie of a false god. The truth of the matter is that when you live distracted, you’re not living in the truth. How many times have you spent an hour on FB and walked away feeling poorly about yourself after ingesting all the glorious statuses and believing your life simply doesn’t measure up? Don’t get me wrong, FB has its positive aspects, but I have to wonder if it’s been hijacked as a subtle tool from the enemy distracting God’s people from the Bread of Life while offering us meager crumbs and stealing time away from God’s Word, work, prayer, and families. Remember, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Will we allow the enemy to continue stealing our time, killing our spiritual lives, and destroying our families and personal relationships? Think about it, when was the last time you had a face-to-face meaningful conversation with your friend or spouse? Unfortunately, we’re often too busy “tagging” our friends to actually pick up the phone and call them.

The straightforward words of Hands Free Mama, Rachel Macy Stafford, are still ringing in my ears, “Some things in life are incongruent. There are just some things you simply cannot grasp if you’re holding on to something else. To grasp what matters, you must let go of what doesn’t.” So, with that in mind, I challenge you to consider establishing a “hands free” day in your week. Deliberately create a “no phone” policy when you’re out to eat. Take time to construct meaningful conversations with your spouse. Look into the eyes of your adoring children who truly long for your attention. Let’s pray with the Psalmist, “Turn my eyes away from gazing at worthless things and revive me by your ways” (Ps 119:37). And may the mantra of our children’s childhood echo Rachel Macy Stafford’s, “So instead of being too busy, too tired, or too distracted when our children seek our love and attention, I will be ready and waiting to make them well-loved children while we can.”