“So, then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise,
making the best use of your time because the times are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16 ISV
“Make the best use of your time,” means we have to take time seriously—it is finite while we are on this earth. Each minute that passes is a minute spent, a minute invested, or a minute wasted. We choose how to spend our time, and once spent, we can never get it back. Time can be full of purpose and impact or it can be wasted and squandered. What is the best use of your time? What gets all of your focus and attention? Are you living on purpose or chasing the distractions the enemy throws on your path? How you spend your time and your life pursuits is your choice, but distraction cannot dictate how you spend your life—it can only tempt you to follow it.
“But all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.”
Mark 4:19 NLT
Distraction: the thief of focus, the thief of purpose, and the thief of time.
I put my life into three categories:
1. Urgent
2. Important
3. Fun
My urgent list is full of the most precious things to me: God, husband, kids, purpose and calling.
My important list is full of, well, important things to me or important things that have to get done: family, friends, church, volunteering, grocery shopping, doctor or dentist appointments, etc. These things have to get done for our lives to function, so they are essential.
My fun list is the best: vacations, spending time with friends, going for walks, playing board games, going to the beach, DISNEY WORLD (I would love for this to be on my urgent list), and taking a bath.
I prioritize my life so my life won’t take priority!
My life is full, fun, busy, crazy, hectic, and can be all-consuming. However, I can’t let it control me. I have to take control of my life and choose what is important based on my values and beliefs, based on what is important to me, and most importantly, what is important to God. Your life is a gift from God—every minute, day, year, and decade is precious. He filled it with every good thing you have. But when your good things become your only things and God becomes an unwelcome distraction in your life, then the life you were blessed with stops being blessed, and you become a slave to it.
Silenced by a life distracted away from God.
It is so easy to let life distract us, because we can see the need for us in it. I am needed by my husband and kids, I am needed at work, I am needed by my family, and I am needed by my friends. We put our worth in the things that distract instead of things that last, because we think that the things that are distracting us need us. We delegate doing the things that last to someone else—someone more qualified, more important, or experienced. As long as it’s someone else, anyone else. You are needed by God; you and your purpose are needed in this battle.
In 1 Samuel, we read about the first king of Israel named Saul. He didn’t start out as king, but he was hand-picked by God to become king. The prophet Samuel told Saul about the decision God made, but from the very beginning, Saul wasn’t convinced. Saul didn’t think he was good enough. He didn’t trust God’s plan, and he was distracted by insecurity.
