Every important area of life has distractions (marriages, parenting, economics, career, athletics, friendships, health, political, academic, and of course, our spiritual lives.
The distractions can impair our success. Some folks are easily distracted because they lack self-discipline. Sometimes the distraction is understandable. In either case, distraction can lead to tragedy.
This is what is happening in the Christian community. People are being distracted by both important and silly things. Some of the distractions are worthy of our attention, but not to the point of shifting our focus from Jesus. Some of the valid distractions are family relationships, emergency needs, financial difficulties, health problems, political upheaval, social stress, and workplace changes. Sometimes our circumstances demand special attention. But there is nothing more important than our relationship with God. We must give ourselves totally to developing our relationship with God. We must fix our eyes upon Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
One of the biggest surprises to me is how little it takes to distract people from their eternal destiny. Not only does a vital spiritual relationship guide us through the twists and turns of this present evil world, it also prepares us for our future and forever destiny.
Focusing our attention is up to us. We need to have the single eye for God and His will. No one can focus for us. Turning our eyes upon Jesus requires that we turn away from the things that draw us away from Him. God tells us to bring every thought captive to the obedience of God.
