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Devotion for Tuesday, May 19
DISTRACTIONS
"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
...A time to tear down and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak."
Ecclesiastes 3:1+7
We live in a world that has lots of distractions. It is a wonder we that anyone can remember anything. We are always getting distracted by the things around us; the phone rings, an email coming in dings, something on the TV grabs our attention, we see something that we meant to do, before we got distracted by something else, and so on. However, the world has changed, and our distractions have changed. We are less likely to be distracted these days by in person appointments, social gatherings and going out shopping in stores.
Behavioral scientists tell us that we cannot extinguish a behavior. But we can change it, usually by replacing it with another behavior. It might be worthwhile to look at what changes we have made during our "stay-at-home" time. Instead of going out shopping in stores, we may have cleaned closets, tidied up the old photo albums, watched more TV, or contacted more people by use of a computer or cell phone. However, we still are finding ways to keep ourselves distracted. That is not a bad thing, especially if we are using our time wisely and a positive result is the outcome. The bottom line here is that all of us are finding ways to keep ourselves occupied during our "stay-at-home" time.
A new way that we will be using some of our time, in the future (hopefully, a very near future), will be when we will be able to gather and socialize again. There is no doubt that we will be sharing stories of "what did you do during the pandemic?" And, most likely, we will compare similar stories with each other. But, how many of us will be sharing stories of how we spent time with God in prayer, meditation, reading the Bible or attending online church or Zoom meetings where we gathered with God? Many of us have done these things and they will be an important part of what we share with others when this is all over. It will be as simple as discussing the weather, but much more important.
Let us pray:
Father God,
You are always with us, even every day through this pandemic. May we remember Your presence with us, when we reminisce about this time with family and friends; both now and in the future.
Denise Clark, CSM
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