We all experience times when life and ministry can be difficult, and sometimes the holidays seem to multiply those challenges. To help focus our hearts in the direction of grace, I want to offer up three ways to renew your heart as we begin a new year.
Last week’s Monday MEMO was about Changing Your Routine. Today I’d like to talk about the second way to refocus your heart: Disconnecting from Distractions
A confession: I’m a recovering tech junky. I remember when I first laid eyes on a Palm Pilot, and I knew I needed one for seminary. More recently, I used to be one of those people who lined up in the early morning at Apple stores on iPhone release days, wanting to be one of the first to get their hands on each new iPhone.
As a human being that remembers life before the internet and smart devices, I can attest to the fact that people have become increasingly distracted over the past two decades. We have at our immediate disposal unlimited amounts of information on every topic, updates from our friends, video games, and online video.
While our digital devices have opened up amazing opportunities for creativity and connection, they’ve also made us less focused. For instance, one call from a telemarketer rings through on my phone, my computer, and my watch. But unlike the telemarketer call, most of our distractions are self-imposed. Most of us whip our minds into a distracted frenzy each day as we multitask and jump from meeting to meeting. And when we’re home, we check Instagram or respond to email while sitting at the dinner table or browse the internet from our bedrooms, often to the neglect of the people sitting right next to us.
So in order to refocus our hearts on God as we start this new year, let’s work to minimize some of the distractions.
A few ideas:
- Keep your phone in a different room during meals.
- Go for a walk, hike, or campout.
- Temporarily delete social media apps from your phone.
- Put away your tv remote.
- Read a paper Bible instead of digital.
- Play a board game, do a puzzle, or read a book out loud.
- Set aside time for extended prayer.
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”
Luke 10:38-42 ESV
Let us be mindful of God’s presence and work to choose the “good portion.”
