How Distracted Are You?

Passages: Is. 58:13-59:7; 1 Tim. 4:12-5:10; Jn. 3:13-21
Ընթերցուածքներ’ Եսայ. ԾԸ 13 – ԾԹ 7; Ա Տիմ. Դ 12 – Ե 10; Յով. Գ 13-21

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

An evangelical pastor Steven Furtick once said, “The enemy has two strategies: distraction and discouragement. He will distract you so that you crash, or he will discourage you so that you quit.” One of today’s many issues is that we are constantly distracted. If in the past DUI’s were an issue, which they certainly still are, today we have also added, DD’s “Distracted Driving.” I’m sure many of us are thinking this means texting or using our phones, yet, distracted driving comes in many forms and shapes. A few months ago, I sadly read a story of two children that were killed in a car crash after their mom tried to break up a fight in the back seat of the car while driving. Of course, distractions aren’t just limited to our driving. There are plenty of people who walking down the street are distracted by their phones or thoughts, and they can’t see the potholes in front of them. We know that there are also psychological distractions; just turn on the news or go online. All the evil and hardship, wars and disagreements takes our focus and ultimately fills us with hopelessness, discouragement. We know that there are many issues that exist in today society which we face and yet, almost all our problems and disagreements can be summed up in that word – distraction.

Distractions are not things that take our mind off our problems; They in fact create problems in our mind. When we read in today’s Gospel about the Israelites who in the desert were being bitten by serpents, we might wonder why they were in the situation in the first place. For those who have lived in areas where wild animals are abound and especially in snake infested areas, there are hints and clues to know where to avoid snakes and other dangerous animals. It is only when we are distracted that we beginning to miss the clues, the hints and fall into danger – into the snake pit. When we begin wondering off the right path, when we lose focus on where we are going does real danger occur. In fact, that is how the Israelites ended up in the situation they were in. The Israelites were wandering in the wilderness because they had rejected God, their faith failed, they had been distracted by worldly desires and turned away from God. Thus they ended up in snake infested land.

Certainly we are not in in constant danger of snakes biting us yet, my dears, what is distracting us in life and from God? And I am not speaking about texting and driving or sitting at our computers. Yes, these distractions can be dangerous yet, what about the bigger distractions in our life that have caused us to turn away from God, from each other, from hope, from love, from compassion. How distracted have we become with politics, with societal disagreements, with pettiness or with our arrogance and ignorance? It is no wonder we have fallen into a pit of serpents, where we are constantly being bitten and hurt. We are far more focused on how others dress, how other think, how others vote, how others live or believe or don’t believe that we have been distracted from what God calls us to. It is no wonder why physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually we all feel the serpent’s sting. It is no wonder how distraction has led to discouragement, that the natural result is today far more of us are suffering with depression and hopelessness.

Yet, God did not abandon the Israelites in the desert; God does not abandon us in our spiritual desert. Rather, God gave the Israelite something to look up to, something to lift their heads up and focus on when danger had come. In the same way we have someone to lift our heads and focus on – Christ Jesus. However, let us not be again distracted to think that looking up to Christ is merely about coming to Church, giving a check, or being a nice person. There are plenty of us who come to Church and remain distracted on the outside world, on how others look or where people are sitting, etc. The Gospel is clear. To be saved from the serpents sting, we must believe. This means have faith! Having faith is not the same as having all the answers. It means accepting that we don’t have the answers, and ONLY GOD does. Having faith is not about the dangers disappearing around us, but it means to learn how to navigate and live a life where we can avoid as much of those dangers as possible. Having faith my dears, is not about not feeling hurt or anxious, rather it is accepting that through God, even death cannot devastate us, that the serpents sting is powerless. That is why in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 we read “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And why in Proverbs 4:25 we read, “Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.”

My dear brothers and sisters, faith helps us remain focused on what is important. Which is why St. Paul in his letter to Timothy for example gives us guidance. He tells us how to treat the youth, the elderly, the poor, the widows, how to treat each other, because though distraction can come from external or internal factors and some of those things are out of our control, yet, what is in our control is how we treat ourselves and those around us. How we live our faith, which we say we have. What divides and distracts so many of us today is how we look at ourselves and those around us. Yet, Christ Jesus came to save us all. To remove the distraction of this world that says we are worthless. Christ Jesus died on the Cross to bring our focus on what is important, what will bring healing through faith – love.

Therefore, my dears, let us take pause and reflect what is distracting us in life? Where are we and what are we more focused on? What dangers potentially lie ahead of us if we remain distracted? The love of God is what heals us, the love of God our Heavenly Father sent Christ Jesus, God the Son to focus our attention and strengthen our faith. The love of God is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, who shines upon us and allows us to focus on what is important and who guides our hands to live our faith daily. May our focus and faith remove the distractions and discouragements of our daily life and may our wounds be healed and the serpents in our life be crushed by the power of God. May our lives bring Glory to God always Amen!