The world has grown wildly distracted over the last decade. Though not a particularly profound observation, it is an important one because our increasingly distracted existence had all sorts of implications for our overall wellbeing. However of particular concern is the way it is the way it is diminishing our spirituality. So many of us are struggling with desperation for meaning and purpose because our energy and attention is unnecessarily scattered. When we permit distractions to become the guiding force in our lives, we surrender to a reactive life. A life that is composed of one miscellaneous decision/action after another.
A distracted life needs the anchor of quiet moments to offer a filter for the urgency. Without this anchoring, we’re swept away daily by distractions in the form of endless errands or the perfecting of our homes or the pursuit of a better work out/budget/meal plan/skin care routine or another promising DIY project to add to the pile or the activity that will make our child just a little bit smarter than everyone else’s.
It’s easy to feel the world spinning with shoulds. But if we follow the patterns and habits of a distracted life, we are never done, never enough, rarely connected, and exhausted.
In order for our spirituality to flourish, it’s essential that we combat the overwhelm of distractions with presence, that we seek out moments to hush the noise and allow the God who ordered the universe to order our days as well.
The distractions are loud. And the quiet is naturally less demanding of our attention. It requires great intention to turn down the volume of our distractions and turn up the volume of our quiet. (It’s a strange concept, but it makes sense, I promise.)
We turn down the volume of our distractions by being mindful of where all the shoulds sneak in. We intentionally do slow things, one at a time. We retrain our minds to process less, but more deeply. We toss out the notion that more is always better. We reclaim our scattered selves and offer them humbly to God to breathe the best sort of life into them.
We begin to turn up the volume of our quiet by dwelling with God and seeking where God longs to cultivate life in us and through us. This can be a very slow distilling process. But as we gain clarity, we can then use the tools that have been ushers of distraction to tether us to our purpose. We can use our phone alarms to prompt us to recenter. We can play a morning anthem on our way to work that anchors us for the day. We can compose a daily centering prayer. We pray breath prayers over the sink. We can memorize scripture with our children at the breakfast table. In all these practices and more, we quiet ourselves and allow God’s truth to become louder in our lives.
Teach me to slow my mind. Steady my heart. Help me to pursue the hush and the rest that comes from Your presence. Plant within me desires that bring forth life instead of exhaustion. Clarify the purpose of my days and give me wisdom regarding when to say ”yes” and ”no.”
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