Here, just a
minute, I can’t worry about writing a blog post right now. I have to consider these things:
- Fussing about my chronic medical condition
- Writing that article for a friend’s blog
- Getting my kids motivated
- Reading that friend’s book
- Cleaning the bathrooms
- Grocery shopping and delivering paperwork
Believe me,
those are enough to worry about. However, I have only given you a partial list.
The full list would take up pages. It doesn’t take even take into account the momentary,
unexpected setbacks that affect all of us.
The Culture of Anxiety
Life moves so fast these days. It’s hard to stay focused. I know I’m not
the only person who walks into a room and, seconds later, forgets my purpose.
It’s also not uncommon to speak or write something, and then lose the train of
thought.
We live in a
culture of constant change and movement. In other words, we abide in a state of
commotion. There’s no getting around it. Many of us deal with multiple challenges
at a time.
Hold on!
Maybe I should have used that other idea I had for an article. There was the
one about…
Should I eat
tuna or bologna for lunch?
(You think I’m
kidding? How many things are you thinking about as you read this? Be honest!)
What are distractions?
Anything
that disrupts our routine or keeps us from fulfillment can be considered an
unwanted disturbance. Some are hazardous; some are merely a nuisance:
- Texting while driving
- Delays on the road
- Illness
- Equipment malfunction and failure
- Relationship crisis
- Career predicament
A Practical Analogy
A friend
related to me a practical illustration of diversion. She learned it in her
church’s ladies’ group meeting:
Two ladies
held a rope tautly at about chest height. A blindfolded woman had to walk from
one end of the rope to the other. Her job was to keep hold of the rope even
though the other attendees simultaneously called out urgently for her
attention. She succeeded.
What is the Solution?
Pain
happens. We get distressed by the many roadblocks life throws at all of
us. In the same manner as the woman in the
example above, we must not stray from the course. Our
first priority is to hold on to what we know is truth and remain strong-minded
through the many temporary tempests
life holds.
Luke,
chapter 8, tells the story of Jesus and the disciples sailing on the Sea of
Galilee. A sudden storm arose. The disciples panicked. All they were aware of
was the fleeting storm. They felt powerless knowing that Injury, even death,
was possible.
What about
Jesus? He was sleeping! He knew the
trouble wouldn’t last forever. He knew
they would get to the shore, no matter how much they had to fight to get there.
“The disciples went and woke him, saying ‘Master, master, we’re
going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the
storm subsided, and all was calm. And he said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’…”—Luke
8:24-25
My Conclusion
It’s not
easy to stay calm when each one of us is faced with all sorts of roadblocks. The
sources for stress and anxiety have multiplied in recent generations. Yet, we
can train ourselves to remain calm by remembering that “this too shall pass.”; our victory is on the way.
How do you look beyond the momentary
storms?
