Have you been distracted lately? I sure have. It is the season for it, you know. The holidays are supposed to be the joyful, peaceful, easy-livin' time. But the reality is far from it. Work schedules, vacation schedules, parties, family get-togethers, shopping, financial pressures, etc, etc. They all add up to distraction, a mind going a million different directions at the same time.
As the pastors gathered together at 8:30 each day this week to pray, one of the passages we used to guide our prayer time was Isaiah 6:1-7. It is the account of Isaiah going into the temple and having this amazing encounter with God. He sees God sitting on a throne surrounded with his angels. There is smoke and there are earthquakes at the sound of God's voice. Quite an amazing description.
As I read the description of Isaiah's encounter with God, one thing became clear – Isaiah was not distracted by anything! He was face-to-face with God and there wasn't another thing that mattered. Isaiah was totally focused.
As I sat reading those words, struggling mightily to have any sense of concentration on my prayers to God, being distracted by way too many things, a longing nudged my heart. The longing was for a clearer vision of God that would overshadow the competing distractions I found myself being consumed by.
Don't lose Jesus this Christmas. Practice saying "no." Say no to over-extending, over-spending, over-eating, over-scheduling, over-partying. Isaiah wasn't distracted because he was in the presence of the One who is greater than anything else we can be distracted by. Enter into the presence of Jesus by taking the time to be quiet, reading the Christmas story in Matthew and Luke, worshipping with your friends and family, thanking God for all the goodness you have experienced. Don't lose Jesus.
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