Urgent Distraction

The cell phone is always dinging, chirping, vibrating, ringing—just blowing up with texts; notifications from Facebook, Twitter, GroupMe, and Instagram; and a few (I mean very few; times are not like they used to be!) phone calls.

It’s so easy to hear the noise and jump right to it. I often wonder what percentage of the day the kids see me with my phone in hand. Am I too distracted by it when they really need me?

When you hear the ding on your phone, it triggers in your mind that it’s urgent. Urgent is defined as requiring immediate action or attention.

But just because something is urgent doesn’t mean it’s important.

Something important is of great significance or value and likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being.

When my phone dings and it’s a text from Chick-fil-A telling me to come by TOMORROW for a free coffee, that’s not important, is it?

· Your child screams. That’s urgent and important.

· Your friend texts you about a pedi. That’s urgent but not important. (You and I know it’s very important but not at that moment!)

· Your husband phones. That’s urgent, yes. Is it important? It could be, depending on what you are doing.

Have you dumped a child off your lap to catch a call? It’s humiliating to think of all the ways I have chosen the seemingly urgent over what’s important.

I have felt so much pressure from people trying to reach me, but I can’t always get back to them right at that moment or sometimes even for days. This year so far, I haven’t responded in months!

It’s embarrassing. I will get texts or emails saying, “Hello, are you there?”

Mentally, I have responded, but I have to remind myself that just because it rings doesn’t mean it’s urgent. All of these little, moment-by-moment distractions can keep you from the true calling of your life.

God doesn’t want you to stop doing what He has asked you to do so you can meet the urgent needs of others. He can handle them.

Just because people don’t understand what you do with your time doesn’t mean you owe them any explanation. Don’t take the time to convince others that you are busy doing God’s work. Just do it! Keep doing it! Don’t be distracted by the little daily interruptions.

“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37 NIV)

Add up the time you have lost with me in the trenches due to these distractions because you allowed yourself to be diverted to other people’s agendas when you had not even completed the next thing God told you to do.

God is saying to all of us, “Who is your God? Am I or are people? You are only accountable to Me. Do you not see how you are people-pleasing in this ON DEMAND society? See it for what it is and let it steal from Me no more! I am the living God. I am worthy of your full attention.”

Whew. I had to share this. It overwhelmed me. What’s distracting you?

Go back and do the last thing God told you to do.