Mitigating Distraction

We watch a couple of shows on Netflix that have been filmed in different languages.  One show is in French and the other is in Korean.  We choose to watch these shows with English subtitles.  They are available to watch in English, but we like to hear the original languages.

Sometimes when we watch a tv show, one or all of us might be on another device at the same time - maybe working on a project, checking an email, scrolling social media, whatever.  It is actually kind of crazy, but that is probably a conversation for another day.

However, when we watch these shows in a different language we have to put everything else away.  You can’t read subtitles and work on another project or read another article simultaneously.  It just isn’t possible.  The subtitles require our full attention.

I was thinking about this recently and considering how this correlates with our spiritual formation.

I wonder how many times we come to meet with Jesus and need to turn the subtitles on?  What would it take to set aside all of our distractions and just focus on what Jesus is up to in and through our lives?

When we watch a show in English and also do something else at the same time we are splitting our attention.  Neither thing gets 100% of our focus.  Sometimes that is fine.  We don’t always need to be 100% focused.

But I do desire to encounter Jesus with as few distractions as possible.  It’s not that Jesus is mad if/when we get distracted.  But it feels a bit like when you are having a conversation with a friend and in the middle of chatting they pick up their phone and start doing something unrelated.

I think my phone and my brain are my biggest distractions.  I notice when I’m wrestling with hard things I tend to pick up my phone more often.  It is a conditioned response that lets me check out.  It is something I’m really working on because I don’t like it.  Sometimes I literally have to tell myself - put the phone down it is in your way right now.

My brain also gets distracted.  It seems I constantly have a checklist running in my head of things I need to do - bills to pay, phone calls to make, projects to complete, lessons to plan, and events to attend.  I do what I can to mitigate this by making sure things get put on my calendar and by pausing to make notes of whatever pops into my mind.  But even then, when I come to prayer, it still takes my brain a minute, or several, to settle, and I often have to keep inviting my brain back to the conversation.

When I turn on the show with the subtitles I set everything else aside.  My brain can’t wander, because if it does it will miss a detail.  My hands can’t be busy doing something else.  My full attention is given to reading those words to understand the story.

In the quiet moments that I have set aside to be with Jesus, I want to do all that I can to create an environment without distraction.  I want to turn on the subtitles and settle into the story.

How about you?  What does distraction-free time with Jesus look like for you?  What is feasible in your current season of life?  Which distractions can you mitigate and which ones are out of your control? 
 

~  Melissa