Distractions

Have you seen the pictures of starving children in Somalia (the latest victims of famine), the kind of images that make you want to turn away and think about something else?  Of course there are legitimate reasons for our reaction: it hurts to see such pain and feel so helpless to do anything about it.

Unfortunately, it’s become all too easy for Americans to avoid the suffering beyond our borders. The so-called “creature comforts” we enjoy occupy our thoughts and redirect our emotions to more pleasant things. We have mastered the art of distraction—we call them pastimes. Some of our pastimes are national, like baseball, basket ball, and football. We devote days of distracted celebration to them (World Series, March Madness, Super Bowl). But each of us has our own favorite distractions that serve to anaesthetize us to the suffering of those across the sea, across town, or even across the street.

During His time on this earth, Jesus was never deterred from His mission by vain distractions. Can you imagine Him sitting in a movie theater to escape the intensity of the world’s suffering? Yikes! Now that’s getting a little too close to home! But I am not saying it is wrong to enjoy a dinner out, a movie and popcorn, or a day at Candlestick. But given the myriad of distractions available to us in this wealthiest of countries on the earth, we must be extremely careful not to get caught up in all the distractions. Since Jesus was the epitome of single-mindedness to the Father’s will should we not also be single-minded in our devotion to God? Only those who unwilling to be distracted by pleasures on earth will hear what the Lord calls them to do, whole-heartedly and without distraction.