Momentary distractions aren’t bad

Momentary distractions aren’t bad. In fact, they can often make our day-to-day lives refreshing and livable. Ecclesiastes 3:11-13, (NIV) He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

The problem starts when our momentary distractions become the very thing our lives are centered on. There is an old adage that you can make more money but cannot make more time. Since none of us know how long we live, we don’t really know how much each second of our lives is worth. For that reason, we need to not allow those momentary distractions to become the most meaningful things in our lives.

I have noticed this struggle many times in my life. Sometimes it is playing phone games, other times binging movies, and at times it is even meaningful pursuits like serving people or having relationships. The truth is anything can become out of whack.

When I notice that things are out of order, I begin to try to recenter myself by replacing the time I am hyper-focusing on with that particular distraction with the other things that should matter in my life, like people. If I am missing meaningful things in my life that is a good time to spend time with God to find out where my time should be focused on. In addition, I will also consult good godly people. Creating a healthy group of people in your life is essential to a successful life.

Unless something is a sin and extremely destructive in my life, I find it is far healthier to replace the time with the healthy things I should be doing in my life, rather than dumping the distraction completely. Living our life in extremes, jumping to-andfro is not a healthy way to live. This includes relationships. Dumping the distraction completely should only happen when the hobby or diversion becomes an addiction or an idol in your life that is no longer savable. Those very good, refreshing diversion in your life now becomes the thorn in your foot that needs to be removed.

If it is sin the book James tells us to move quickly to remove it. Moreover, the book of Romans tells us that the wages of Sin are death. That very death causes separation from God, most of the time also creates baggage in our lives... broken relationships... broken stuff… and typically will put you in a pattern of bad thinking and choices. Think of the prodigal sun.

You will also know when your life is out of balance when that distraction begins to be the thing you get up in the morning to do because it’s now your life’s purpose. God has given you a life to do amazing things. You are here for a purpose. You also have a limited resource of time. I hope that both of us will do something amazing that our children and the people around us will benefit from for years to come.

So go ahead and go fishing, play your video game, watch that funny show, but also make your life matter! Remember today is a new day. You can start now to make the best of your time.