Waiting

Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord! ~Psalm 27:14

I love to wait . . . . [said no one, ever]!

Umm, no thank you.

While there are different levels of waiting i.e. waiting for results from a medical test, waiting for news of a baby's birth, waiting for a family celebration, it can be hard to have joy when the waiting feels prolonged or without fruit.  I'm not referring to waiting for a pizza delivery or for the book you've been dying to read, either!  This is the waiting that involves soul-searching and trust in God.

Distractions part 2

Read part 1 here.

Another observation about distractions - what am I doing to limit or control them?  I can't control the weather or health issues or a friend's crisis, but I can reevaluate my environment, habits, and temptations.  Here's an example:  I have a library of books.  Literally.  I am passionate about reading and learning, and I have nurtured this by collecting lots and lots of books.  Those who have helped me move over the years can attest to my love of books - sorry!  More recently, however, I have begun evaluating both the purpose and value of my books.  Books have distracted me for years and years, and now I want to consider the source.  What value am I getting from these books?  How are they helping me reach my life goals?  Reading a book for enjoyment is okay, but what about reading to learn more about my faith?  I have many interests and priorities that need to balance with my limited free time.  If I truly wish to become a better person as I journey towards Heaven, I have to remove some of the lesser distractions in my life.  This is not an easy task.  

Distractions part 1

I had a conversation last week about distractions, and surprise, surprise, we got distracted!  The conversation went something like this:

'Did you print that report for me?'
'No, I'm sorry.  I got distracted.'
'That's okay - you have a lot of things to distract you.  My friend would call that ADOS.'
'ADOS?'
'Attention Deficit - Oooohhhhh Shiny!'
Laughter ensues.  Cue curtain.

I still smile when I think of that conversation.  Humor is definitely healing.  However, there is a truth to that statement that interrupts our lives and disrupts our relationship with God and others.  Ever since that day, I've been more aware of the distractions in life.  I know - there will always be something to distract us.  I believe, however, that we can and should work to prevent distractions from ruling our lives.  If we don't, all we do is flit from one shiny thing to another.  I think there is another way.