Keep focussed
It’s easy to get distracted these days. It’s hard to keep your attention on something you want to keep your attention on, it’s even harder when you don’t really care.
When it comes to keeping our attention on people we should try hard to recognise that whilst what they are saying may not be important to us – it is to them. Loving someone involves being prepared to listen to them when you don’t really want to.
Jesus always seems to have been very focussed on the people he met and on what was important to them. Sometimes it meant having to get people to think in different ways and at other times he noticed people even when all they did was touch him.
There is a very moving story in the gospels of a woman who needed some help from Jesus and Jesus noticed her touch his clothes even when he was in the middle of a crowd of people. That’s how sensitive Jesus was to people and how focussed he was on helping people.
There is another story of how Jesus was tempted by the devil. The temptations revolved around being distracted from what his purpose was. I always think its a little strange to think that when Jesus was in the wilderness he was tempted. We might think that the wilderness – away from all the distractions – would be a place where you wouldn’t get distracted and it would be easy to stay focussed. Jesus’ experience (and the experience of others who have also spent time in the wilderness) is that often the temptations to get distracted away from a course of action is worse when you are in the wilderness.
Sp let’s not get too attached to the idea that it is all the modern day living stuff that distracts us from what is important because even if we didn’t have any of it we are likely to get distracted. Remember that the distraction comes from inside your own head and not from the things that surround (or don’t surround) you. Stay focussed to achieve your goals.
