Distractions

On our last night at this conference, we always have worship with communion. We worship every night, but the last night is a little more formal. The worship is always the highlight of the week for me. Daughter and I sat in the second row for the communion service, and there were some preschoolers in front of us. This is a community that welcomes all children, and the children are encouraged to sit on the floor at the front and participate in worship. This year we have on little girl who is a handful, to say the least. A friend of mine, who teaches preschool for special needs children, commented at supper that she hadn’t quite figured out a diagnosis for this child, but she knew there was one.

Well, this little girl was one of the preschoolers in front of me. She was fidgeting, talking to friends, and generally being obnoxious. I found myself distracted. I went up for communion, and when I came back to my seat, I closed my eyes as I prayed. Suddenly it hit me. Why was I allowing a little girl to distract me from something that was important and meaningful to me? Why was I focusing on her, instead of on God? As I reflected further, I realized how often I allow little things to get in the way of what is really important.

One of the things I’m going to do in the next day or so is sit down and think about what are the priorities and what are the distractions in my life. Then, I’m going to make sure it is the priorities and not the distractions that structure my life. I’ve already identified one thing that at times becomes a distraction: the internet. It was down the last two days of the conference. While it was frustrating, it was also freeing....