DELIVERANCE FROM DISTRACTION

“But Martha was DISTRACTED with much serving…” – Luke 10:40a

Perfection of Purpose demands continual DELIVERANCE FROM DISTRACTION: “But Martha was DISTRACTED with much serving…” (Lk.10:40a). Distraction, however legitimate, is a spiritual danger, an evil from which deliverance is required: “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one…” (Mt. 6:13a). Distraction causes delay or derailing from the pursuit of Purpose. Since humanity’s fall, people have had trouble staying focused, but we live in an age of unprecedented distraction. Experts have identified negative effects of electronic devices and social media to include: information overload, the buzzing brain, attention atrophy, and diminishing tolerance for reading. Humanity is becoming conditioned to distraction, and it’s harming our ability to listen and think carefully, to be still, to pray, and to meditate.

Some distractions are the result of the futility-infected creation: “For the creation was subjected to FUTILITY, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:20–21). Imperfection has infected human biology as well as environments. With faulty brains and bodies, Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and other mental or physical illnesses, some people battle distractions more than others. Environmental factors like poor nutrition, dysfunctional family systems, cultural and technological forces (such as social media) also affect the ability to focus. At the deepest level however, people are vulnerable to distractions because of the carnal, fallen, selfish human nature.

Distraction reveals the state of the human heart; what we love. When you are regularly distracted by something, you need to take note. Our attention often runs to what’s important to us, as evidenced in Martha, Jesus’s friend. Martha was busy in the kitchen while Jesus taught in her home. When Martha complained that her sister, Mary, wasn’t helping because she was sitting at Jesus’s feet, Jesus replied, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about MANY THINGS. But ONE THING is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Lk. vv.41–42). Martha was distracted from Jesus because she was anxious about feeding the Lord and perhaps other guests, and in all likelihood about what they would think of her and her household if she didn’t serve well.

God is not nearly as interested in our efficiency as He is in our faith. Martha didn’t recognize her distraction until Jesus helped her see her heart. She thought she was doing the right thing by serving so feverishly. But Jesus revealed how far off her values were distorted. She had shifted her attention from the greater importance to the lesser. So, in our busyness, we must ask, what is the real distraction? What does my heart desire? Am I choosing “the good part,” seeking the great “one thing” or many lesser things? David declared: “ONE THING I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psa.27:4).

Distraction could also be driven by the enemy, but such can be used by God for His purpose. For example, the enemies harassed Nehemiah and his co-builders in order to slow down the building of Jerusalem’s wall, but they failed (Neh. 4). Certain distractions are essentially evil. Time spent distracted simply means we have less to spend. Every distracted minute is an unrecoverable minute, now frozen in the permanent past. It is proper to seek to make the best use of our time: “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). Yet, we need not be paralyzed by the possibility of distraction.

Our Father wants us to grow in the grace of focus, and will cause our battles against distraction to work for our good (Rom. 8:28). Ultimately, distraction reminds of our frailty and limits, forcing us to ask God for the help we desperately need. By His Grace, God will increase our resolve to pursue purpose, and deliver us from the fragmenting effect of fruitless distraction.