Un-Holy Distractions

Those of you that know me know that I can get distracted well, incredibly easily. My ADD is so embedded into my entire being that its really nothing to bounce around more times in an hour then there are minutes in said hour. I am an easy to distract creature, kinda like that dog in the movie UP, whose every conversation gets sidetracked by seeing a squirrel. In truth, though, don’t we all get distracted far too easily from what life should really all be about? Aren’t there things that, in the grand scheme of things, are not a big deal, but they keep us from doing things that God asks of us that are indeed a big deal?

As both churches and individuals we are way too often the victims of what I call Un-Holy distractions. These are things that are not necessarily sinful or evil in and of themselves, but serve to distract us from doing what God requires of us. In other words, they’re not holy things, so they are by definition un-Holy. I sat in a church board meeting once where the majority of the meeting focused on the most deep of theological dilemmas: why were the carpets dirty, what’s the cheapest way to clean them, and how many new rules do we make to ensure they never get dirty again? I’m not kidding, we walked out of that meeting with TWO PAGES of new policies regarding food and drink in the church building, but we really never talked about how we as a church should be living out God’s purpose. I’ve fallen pray to this myself more times then I can remember. I’ve sadly had times where I spent more time on a silly video illustration then researching and writing message, talked to my friends instead of tending to someone who really needed me, or watched 6 hours of Battlestar Galactica in a day I spent no time in the word.

One of my favorite Bible verses, Romans 12:2, is a great reminder of our need to fight against Un-Holy Distractions. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God- what is good and acceptable and perfect. Don’t let all the things around you in this world distract you from doing what is “good and acceptable and perfect.”

My question to you today is this: what are the un-Holy distractions in your life? What are the things that make you wonder away from doing God’s work? What are the things that make you randomly yell “squirrel!,” when you should be screaming out the message of the Gospel? This week work on getting those un-Holy distractions out of your life. Don’t let distractions keep you from sharing the gospel, speaking up in God’s name, serving the needs of others, and shining your light for God. Don’t let your disagreement with another at church keep you from worshiping. Don’t let your desire to converse with friends distract you from talking to those who really need you. And don’t let your desire to please yourself distract you from God’s desire for you to serve Him and others.