Distractions Diminish Traction

I hate what I am addicted to.  I do not care much for writing on Facebook.  But I do post there when I send out a new blog.  While there, I scroll down to see who is posting pictures but get frustrated by all the advertisements.  I then start to bail out, but I notice the little icons in the upper right corner just before I do.  There I see a little red circle over the bell to tell me there is a notification just for me.  And just like Pavlov’s dog, I go. I go there because sometimes there are messages that there has been activity on my blog site.

I “ring’ the bell icon, get to the notification and then feel so vain that I want to know how my “fan base” has grown.  (Yes, my inner life is a mess of contradictions.)

What gets me in the most trouble with Facebook is just the other end of that gray line that holds the icons.  The greatest threat to my time consumption lies in the “watch” icon.  I have never found order for my Attention Deficit Disorder; punching this tiny screen is a slippery slope for my distractable intellect. 

That Facebook feature was made for me.  It both inspires my mind and eats my time.  I love it, and I hate it.  Each little short video leads to another.  I like watching splinters being pulled out of human flesh.  I love watching a craftsman pound a bright orange glob of steel into a wheel for a train or a razor-sharp sword.  Then there are the guys who restore the old Tonka trucks.  Blacksmiths are so cool as they create tools I will never require but want to make.  I like glass blowing and welding.  It is easy to get stuck on the “top twenty stupid drivers” videos.  I am ashamed of my woodworking skills with all my tools and machines as I watch guys create beautiful pieces of furniture with so few tools. 

Many-a-day has had to be reorganized because I chased the squirrels and rabbits that run around in my phone.  I have often sat down with my laptop to wring out a budding thought into a blog post, needed to research an idea on the internet, and find myself an hour later thoroughly distracted and unable to refocus on the idea.  All because I slipped up just a little and touched that “watch” icon.  The time, motivation, and often the traction for an idea’s birth and maturity are lost forever.

I would not say that all that time was wasted, for I love to learn and am frequently inspired with new ideas for improvements and modifications for my own creativity.  However, I know too much of my time is wasted by the momentary giving into the fast-moving eye candy my scurrying mind craves. 

Concentration has never ever been one of my durable attributes.  But I have found a way to compensate, at least a little, commitment.  I was probably in or near my forties when I took a tiny mental step; I chose to commit my life to one thing, to please God. But, unfortunately, I did not master that commitment.  I realized I had totally failed at life, there was no joy or peace, and I was so tired.  So, I placed that little prayer before my Father.  And nothing happened!  But something began to happen.

What you read in these blog posts does not come out of my “natural abilities.” But, somehow, my Father has been able to shift my mind so that I remain the same knucklehead but can be useable by Him, and I trust Him in that process.

Traction and distraction are two intentionally chosen words for this blog. We gain traction in living our intended life when our commitment is a simple prayer of faith voicing our longing to please our Creator, our Father.  He may not change the way your brain works, but He will undoubtedly make it pleasing to Himself.  That, my dear reader, is where the joy and peace in life emanate.

One of the Bible translations I often use is the International Children’s Bible.  Below is a portion of the third chapter of Proverbs.  Accepting these words of God as the absolute authority for my best life has changed me.  I encourage you to slowly ponder the whole chapter.  Here, Wisdom tells us where we can begin to find the traction amidst our varied distractions to get the life God has planned for us.

Trust the Lord with all your heart. Don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in everything you do. And he will give you success. Don’t depend on your own wisdom. Respect the Lord and refuse to do wrong. Then your body will be healthy. And your bones will be strong.

Photo – Taken from one of the vistas on the way up in Kingdom Come Park near Cumberland, KY.