It is reasonable to say we are living in an age where we are more distracted than ever. Distractions can come from the phones in our pockets, the watches on our wrist, the radios in our cars, or even the computers and television in our homes. The opportunity to be distracted is everywhere, and these are just the technical, non-human distractions.

Data from Prosperity Media and Exploding Topics further makes the point: (09-11-2024)

— The average office worker sends 40 emails per day and receives 121 emails per day. They spend on average 15.5 hours each week just dealing with emails.

— The average person spends 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media every day.

— The average American checks their mobile device 159 times a day.

— Users will spend 4 trillion hours on social media this year.

With the ability to be pulled in so many directions literally at your fingertips, how do we confront this onslaught of distraction? The first thing we must recognize is what being distracted costs us, because it is far more than missing a deadline. Distractions have consequences that can affect every aspect of your life. Most importantly, it can affect every relationship in your life if you don’t address it properly.

Three Perils Of Distraction In The Christian Life

Psalm 46:10 tells us to be still and know that He is God. Well, how is this possible with the litany of distractions that are constantly bombarding us? The reality is we cannot be still unless we address the distractions in our lives. Here are three perils that can result from being distracted.

1. Distractions Make You Less Attentive

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who was not paying attention? Maybe they were checking their phone, watching something on television or engaged in some other activity. Whatever it was, you did not have their full attention. How did that make you feel? This is how distractions affect relationships.

When you are engaged in a conversation and you are not fully attentive — whether intentionally or not — you are showing the other person that what they have to say is just not that important to you. That is not a good basis for any relationship.

I don’t know about you, but if I am talking to someone and I feel like they are not engaged or paying attention, I stop talking. This does not just apply to our human relationships, it is true of our walk with the Lord as well. When we pray or read the Bible and are distracted, we are giving a higher priority to something else over that time we are spending with the Lord.

Did you ever get up to pray and read the Bible and as you start to pray you hear a notification go off on your phone? Immediately your mind shifts, wondering who was reaching out and was it something important. After that, as your focus was interrupted, your mind begins contemplating the many tasks of the day, whether they were related to work, family or ministry. All of this was triggered by a notification on our phone and, needless to say, it is difficult to get focused back to pray that morning. Think about this and realize how sad it is that one simple distraction disrupted the time you wanted to spend with the Lord.

2. Distractions Make You Less Productive

Have you ever felt like you can’t get anything done? It could be that there are too many things pulling your attention away from what you need to focus on. These things are not always bad, sometimes they even feel necessary. However, if you give into the distractions often enough, you will be less productive.

3. Distractions Make You Less Effective

The third peril of distraction is you become less effective. By that I mean when you do things, you don’t do them as well as you could have. One word that is chief on the distraction list is the idea of multi-tasking. This sounds good in theory, but what it really means is that you engage in a lot of different activities, but often they are not executed at a high or exceptional level. You will find it difficult to do ten different things at once and then expect them all to be done with excellence.

How Do You Overcome The Perils Of Distraction?

Turn Off The Technology

This might be the most difficult thing to do because we are so married to our technology. Think about how you feel when you leave the house without your cell phone. Most people think their world is going to end. It won’t.

We must learn how to turn the technology off so we can give our focus to the things we are doing. One area where this is crucial is when you are reading your Bible or praying. Here is a suggestion — while it is great reading your Bible on the phone, when you are in your personal time with the Lord, use a physical copy of the Bible. Turn the phone off or leave it somewhere you can’t hear or respond to it.

The goal is to create spaces where you can avoid distractions and removing the items causing the distraction is one way to do that.

Give Your Full Attention To Who Or What Is In Front Of You

You cannot do everything because you are a limited resource and so am I. This means we must focus on the task at hand. Sometimes the distraction comes because while you are trying to do one thing, you are thinking about the next thing you must do.

Practice giving your full attention to who or what is right in front of you. This is called being in the moment. Regardless of how much you must do, the truth is you can only do one thing well at a time. Focus on that one task or that one person, and give it, or them, your full attention. Not only will the person you are engaged with feel more valued, but the work you do will improve as well.

Be Intentional about Moments of Solitude

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16).

When Jesus walked the earth, everyone was grabbing for His attention. However, He never allowed what was being asked of Him to take away from time in solitude so He could pray

What a contrast to how we live. We count being busy as a badge of honor. Jesus counted solitude as a necessity so He could spend time in prayer. It is not only okay, but necessary to get away from people and things so that you can focus and pray. I mentioned earlier about how distractions take away your attentiveness. Well, solitude helps to bring it back. This could mean taking a walk, sitting outside or just finding a quiet place in your house. Wherever that place is, be intentional about finding it and make sure you remove all the distractions for that period. It may seem a little odd at first, but the more you practice it the more you will value those moments.

Be Proactive about Focusing

The only way to remove distractions is to be purposeful about it. It will not happen until you decide to do it. If you don’t, you will always find yourself too busy, too tired and not as effective in the different areas of your life. The solution is simple, but the challenge is in the execution. Letting go and turning off is difficult, but the more you do it, the better off you will be.

Remember: The God of hope wants you to spend time with Him. Ground your hope in Him and His Word.

— — — —

Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week’s column comes from Rev. Don Grant of Hillview Wesleyan Church, Flemington.