 Come
Away My Beloved
"Fatal Distractions"
by Laura Trapp
In the Brazilian
rain forest there is a parasitic plant called 'the strangler fig' It
has a nasty habit of springing up at the root of stately and majestic trees,
and slowly crawling its way up the trunk of the beautiful tree. As it sinks
its roots into its host, it begins to suck the life from the tree. It
surrounds the trunk, climbing steadily higher, until it has completely
consumed the tree inside. What is left is a hollowed out shell of tough vines
that have taken on the form of the tree, while the original host has died.
We face life in a
world filled with subtle “strangler figs”. The unceasing 'busy-ness' of our
daily routine, filled with more distractions and pleasures and ‘attention
grabbers’ than the human race has ever known can act as a 'strangler fig' to
suck the real life and purpose from our existence.
One of Satan's
greatest tactics to defeat Christians has always been to simply use "benign
distractions" in our lives to keep us from hearing God's still small
voice. But even ‘benign distractions can be fatal. Last year alone there were
12,000 highway fatalities caused by ‘distracted drivers’! From the drivers
on the road with a cell phone glued to their ear, to the man in the gym with
his headphones on, to the teen on the corner lost in his IPod, it seems we
are 'plugged in' to everyone but God. Our "Blackberries" have become our life
line, and many sleep with it at their bed side lest they miss a message from
someone testing or emailing them. After all, we live in a "PC World", where
the world itself comes into our homes and even into our easy chair as we surf
the web, check email, search for that favorite recipe, play "fantasy
football", or communicate with complete strangers. If you add to that the
constant buzz of the television in the background, it is no wonder that there
is a famine for hearing the Word of the Lord.
A wise old French
sage, Blaise Pascal, made this thought provoking statement: "All the
evils of life have fallen upon us because men will not sit quietly and
silently in a room." Certainly, if this eighteen century philosopher
saw "evils" in his society due to incessant distractions and busy-ness, what
would he say about our lives today? As the writer of Ecclesiastes has told
us, there is nothing new under the sun, but perhaps there are greater
degrees of what has always been! The times in which we live must
certainly be the time of the greatest distractions to spiritual
growth men have ever seen.
God now, as
always, speaks in a still and small voice. He has never
been in the business of shouting above the fray for our attention. But He has
warned us of this pitfall that stunts our Christian life and threatens to
snuff it out in the Parable of the Seed- "The seed that fell among
thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are
choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature" (Luke
8:14).
What is the cure
for this? IS there a way to prevent ourselves from being entangled by the
insidious demands of constant communication from others about nothing, while
neglecting our communication with the One who made us?
The cure lies in
the power of choice.
First, you must choose to embrace
your destiny and to believe that you do indeed have a place of
significance in this world. You are not here by accident! God has a
very specific purpose for your life, which only YOU can fill! The two most
important days in your life will be the day you were born and the day
you find out why. Nothing brings life into focus more than a sense of
purpose. It peels away distractions down to a central core. Without
it we are restless and aimless, ‘busy’, but unfulfilled and unhappy. Romans
8:29 reveals that you are ultimately, predestined to be made into a person
who strongly resembles Jesus Christ! Along the way, that process will include
some molding and some pain, but ultimately, your greatest joy and sense of
satisfaction. He has sent His Spirit to live within you to help you with
this transformation process. But, you will have to choose to turn of the
television, computer, email, IPod, and cell phone. You will have to choose
to find that place alone in a room that Blaise Pascal talked about.
Secondly, you
must choose to focus on your destiny. Jesus said that we must choose
to seek His kingdom FIRST, and all the other needs and cares of life would be
given to us in the process (Matthew 6:33). “Seek first the Kingdom and
His righteousness….”
A
story is told of a competitive swimmer who began a marathon swim through
shark infested waters to cross a body of water for the first time. As she
entered the water, her trainers had to fire guns into the air to frighten the
sharks that were already lurking near. With great determination she swam for
fifteen hours when a deep fog settled in. She called to her men, “Get me out.
I can go no further.” When the fog lifted, she could see that she was no
more than fifty yard from her goal.
Failing to focus on
your purpose is like trying to swim in the fog. You must keep your ‘eyes on
the prize’ and choose to keep a Kingdom priority mindset. Otherwise, like the
mighty Gulliver, you will be tied up and overcome by the Lilliputian minutiae
of your life.
The most important
Voice you will ever hear is not the loudest voice. Choose to turn off
the distractions. Choose to embrace your purpose. Choose to
focus. Choose to quiet your heart and listen for the voice of your
Eternal Lover.
And
in listening, be transformed.
CG |
