“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” — Hebrews 2:1
What’s the opposite of paying attention? It’s being distracted. It’s not listening carefully. When I’m working on an important project, I turn off distractions. I need to pay attention.
Admittedly, we live in an age of distractions. They make it difficult to connect with the people in front of us and also the Lord! Because of that, I made a decision ten months ago, to stop listening to the radio.
I tend to drive a lot day-to-day, and while I am, I listen to the radio: news, politics, sports and music. Basically, when I drive, the radio is on. However, I noticed something in my heart. The topics discussed on the radio were the things I thought about. Along with that, those were the things I worried about, too. So, in November (2020), I realized this and thought, “I don’t like how this is impacting my heart, I’m taking a break.”
Deliberate Steps
It has been 10 months of radio silence. As a result, a few things have happened. I sing more, I pray more, and I have more time to think. I believe God has reminded me of many things while driving around town in silence. (Additionally, I made a similar decision to cut social media from my life back in November, 2018).
In the future, I may turn the radio on again or log back into social media. I don’t know. But, I do know it takes deliberate steps to block out distractions and pay attention to the Lord.
Are you distracted right now, while reading this? Does your phone, radio or social media invade your quiet times? Have you tried to connect with your spouse, kids, or the Lord, but your phone interrupts you? By all means, put it in another room!
Striving to pay attention,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor