Ignoring Distractions

In order to ignore something your focus will have to be geared towards something else.

Let me illustrate this concept using the world's most favourite sport, football. If you are playing football and you are about to score a goal; as you dribble the ball across the field you may hear the opposing side saying all manner of disrespectful things to you. During all the piercing insults, where could your focus be? Plus while you go, you hear the uproar in the stands as the opposing team supporters continually rant "Get the ball from him!" Furthermore, even if it is in support of you it’s still a distraction, especially when you continuously hear the resounding voices of your family and friends cheering "Go Mike go, you can do this!”

Then to top the discordant noise your coach too is yelling your name giving you a series of instructions. Plus, you yourself may join the party as your inner voice starts to distract you with questions like "Where to go?", "What to do?" and "How should I do it?" Then just as you think you’re only distracted by the surrounding cacophony that you hear. Suddenly, you begin to feel your heart rate pounding rapidly as if it were just one beat away from bursting through your chest. Even your sweat causes a slight sensation as it travels down your face, enters your lips, reaches your taste buds and then you taste that savory flavour in your mouth.

With so much around and even within you to be a distraction, you realize that you must stay focus on the main objective; and that is to score the goal. Therefore to focus and ignore distractions you eventually turn to your focus and shift away from every aspect of that which intrudes on your focal point. You ignore things like your supporters, your rival's supporters, the coach, your heartbeat and the very sweat running down your face. Then you tie them together and throw them away in the abyss of silence. Afterward, you continue to dribble and keep your eyes on the ball and goal only. You’re allowing nothing to interrupt you, and cause you to stumble.

Suddenly you realize that you’re almost there now, only just a few dribble away. Now you are feeling so motivated and energized to continue. Until you finally approach just enough distance to make that score and then BOOM you score. In the midst of achieving your objective, you kneel on the field as you breathe in relief, exhaustion and gladness. The distractions will come back from the silence but not in the same form it just exists. Whatever you hear, see or feel no longer matters to you. It’s there and you recognize it, but it does not distract you, because all you are focusing on is the goal you just achieved absolutely nothing else matters nor affects you.

In life this is the same concept we should apply when ignoring distractions. In Proverbs 4:25 it says you should keep your eyes ahead and ignore all sideshow distractions. This can be applied to all that you do; most importantly it can be applied to the process of achieving your purpose in life and as I mentioned in my previous blog, our ultimate purpose is to worship God. So to avoid the distractions of life you should put your focus on worshiping God and ignore the distractions that come from within you, around you also from both loved ones and those who oppose you. It might get tough, especially when the noise from those distraction become ears bleeding. Fortunately, once you shift your focus from the distraction and look ahead to the goal of worshiping God, it will then become mute and you will surely be able to focus on God.

Jockeys place something on the eyes of their horses that is referred to as blinkers. Blinkers are a pair of small leather screens attached to a horse's bridle to prevent it from seeing sideways and behind and being startled. Let us get ourselves a pair of blinkers for life and apply this concept to our situation. Let's put on a pair of spiritual blinkers; which is the love for God and more importantly his love for us. This will prevent us from giving in to our distractions. We will be focusing on God and nothing else.

In Proverbs it says, "Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil". Therefore when your distractions try breathlessly to get your attention, do not be carried away by it but only be aligned with pleasing God. Then in the very end, you will see the benefit of the focus you continued to keep on him and he will say to you, “Well done my good and faithful servant”.

Personally for me, the biggest distraction is the constant whispers that I will fail or things wont work out; all the downfalls there is, you name it! I see where I tend to be overwhelmed by negativity. The enemy always tries to distract me and let me feel worried or anxious about something and unfortunately often times I do give in to his lies. Then I recently came to realize that I don’t have to or need to be carried away by the enemy or anything else that presents itself to distract me. I now accept the fact that distractions will forever be in the picture but what matters is not the presence of it but my reaction to it; and the most appropriate reaction is not to focus on distractions but instead ignore it and focus on God. I hope your heart was encouraged. Please stay focused out there!