Putting Distractions Aside

By Evan Page

We live in a noise-filled generation. Distractions constantly surround us. Everywhere we go, there is something going on or something to do. Even if we’re in line, we have a hard time waiting, just standing. So we reach into our pockets and pull out our ever-present frenemy—our phones. It’s hard for us to just wait patiently—only with our thoughts—for three minutes for our iced coffee, let alone set time aside to spend with the Lord on a regular basis.

I’ve recently been thinking a lot about where this fast-paced, ever-present noise is taking us. It seems like these constant distractions are just a part of life, but what if they’re more than that? What if all these things in our world, including our phones, are used by Satan to distract us from focusing on the Lord Himself? Think about it. We’ve probably all been in this place before, thinking to ourselves or telling our friends, “I just don’t feel like God is even there.” But that statement is more related to our lack of awareness of God than it is to an actual absence of God. We run to Him in times of need, expecting Him to give us a reason or response in our desperate state, and then we get angry or feel neglected when we don’t get what we’re looking for in the time frame we want. But God is omnipresent; the Bible even says He will never leave us or forsake us. So why do we even let that thought cross our minds, let alone come out of our lips? (No judgment, I’ve been there too. It’s just a thought I can’t help but be reminded of.)

Let’s take to the Bible. Time and time again, throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus retreat to a quiet place to pray by Himself. He prayed and fasted alone for 40 days before Satan first tempted Him. He was in prayer, alone in a garden, when guards came to arrest Him. Do you think it is a coincidence that before some of the biggest events in the Bible, Jesus is alone, spending time in prayer? Jesus constantly went away, by Himself, to connect with His Father, but for some reason, we don’t think about doing that ourselves? We have too much going on and too many things pulling us in a million different directions. And when we do spend time with God, we give it a good 20 minutes that is squeezed randomly into our day. Time alone with God seemed to give Jesus the strength and ability to power through some of the toughest times He may have faced, while we are looking for one more hour of sleep or one more minute without our kids.

Let’s put this in a real-time perspective. We meet a new friend and absolutely love her! But then we don’t see her for a while. Sometimes we hear a story about her or someone randomly asks us a question, and it reminds us that we need to catch up. So we send a text or Instagram message, and then we fade away again. How long do you think it would take to build a real relationship with this friend? If someone asked how so-and-so would respond in this situation, would you know? Probably not. You don’t really know that much about her, although you do like her. For some odd reason, I think that’s what we do in our relationship with God. We pop in and out. We expect a lot without giving a lot.

I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because I have three young kids at home with me, and I feel like I never get a minute of peace, but I have really been challenged by this concept of silence and solitude before God. I wonder if it’s something we all need to make a priority in this fast-paced world. I’m wondering if it’s something God is waiting for from us. If we would only put our distractions away, would we see that God is there, waiting in the silence, patiently wanting to show us just how present He really is?

Evan Page lives in Hilton Head Island with her husband, Stephen, and their three children, Merrick, Wake and Wells. She is currently a stay-at-home mom, and most of her days are filled, trying to capture adventures with her children on camera.