Fighting Distraction Through Purpose by Christine Smith (Guest Post)

We won’t be distracted by comparison if we’re captivated with purpose. – Bob Goff

Almost a year ago I came across the above quote in my Twitter feed. Each time I saw it, I paused because at that time I was indeed distracted by comparison. Too often I had allowed myself to go down a rabbit trail in my mind where I named myself as being less than others. Less successful, less beautiful, less popular, having less time with friends, or fewer achievements under my belt. Comparison is not the only thief of joy that distracts me from what God is calling me to do. In the last few months, I have noticed that I am often distracted from meaningful tasks by becoming too focused on my negative feelings. This could be when I feel tired, sad about a difficult situation, or even restless and bored. Dwelling on the worries of tomorrow is also a distraction for me.

Since reading this quote, I have been reflecting a lot on the word purpose. This word has become like a beacon of light in moments of foggy confusion. Purpose has many synonyms (which I have highlighted in italics below) that can lead us out of downward spirals of distraction. In order to stay focused on our writing and other meaningful activities in our lives, we must know what direction God is calling us to. We should have a vision for what we aspire to become and accomplish.

Lastly, we need to be determined to follow through in chasing these desires. One post I read said that the opposite of distraction is traction, which is defined as an action that moves us towards what we really want. Do you know what you really want? What is God calling you to that will help shape who He wants you to be and guide your to-do list?

Recently, I made a list on my phone that I have for now called “Purposeful Activities”. My list has fourteen items on it, everything from giving loving actions to people in my life to reading my Bible to writing and even having a nap! (Sometimes we are distracted simply because we are tired. Never forget that Jesus took naps so we can unashamedly do so too.) Each activity aligns with the goals God has led me to pursue. When I feel my sense of direction is lost and I am likely to get pulled into whatever distraction is in front of me, I pull up my list and know that if I choose one of those endeavours I will be following God’s plans for me. I have also learned that if I am distracted by feeling overwhelmed from having too much to do, I must try to simply choose one task to get started. The last piece of advice I learned recently in a writing course is to “start where you can”. If one task is too difficult, try another one. Sometimes I have planned to do a certain activity at a pre-assigned time, but when I get to that time my mood does not match up to my plan. I have learned it works well to sometimes adjust to choose a different purposeful activity that still allows me to accomplish a meaningful goal.

Ephesians 2:10 states that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has many purposeful activities in mind for each of us every day of our lives. As Bob Goff states in his timely new book entitled Undistracted, “we need to realign, refine, and reconnect with the greater purposes of our lives rather than be distracted by the lesser ones.” It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will lead you to discern what He is calling you to focus on and that you will delight each day in the good work He is doing in and through you.

Christine Smith is a teacher who is just beginning to write for audiences other than herself or her students' parents. She is currently exploring the world of beginning a writing website. Christine lives in Langley, B.C. and enjoys coffee, reading, being outside, and making memories with her husband and four kids.

A Bumpy Path of Love - Guest Post by Christine Smith

 

 Love is not proud… it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  1 Cor. 13:4-5

This new year started with God inviting me into a path of love that I had not been looking for.  It was a bumpy road that God thought I should travel on three times, to make sure I got the lesson. The name of this path is apology. 

Naming sin and apologizing is not a new concept for me.  Growing up, I went to a church where every Sunday we confessed our sins to God and heard that He was faithful to forgive us.  As a parent and elementary school teacher, apologies are a regular part of life. At home, in the classroom, and on the playground, I teach kids to say “I am sorry for…” and then to say “I forgive you”.  I am also blessed to work in a school where apology is a regular way of being among the staff.  When wrong choices are made, I have witnessed, and also given, apologies that brought healing and health to our community. 

I would love to tell you that I read a remarkable book on apologizing, such as “The Five Languages of Apology,” but I did not. My recent lessons in apologizing came from the school of real-life relationships.  My teachers were three family members very close to me, two in my own house and another whom I have been related to my whole life. Each situation with these loved ones involved an intense discussion, okay, argument, that left both participants very angry. The anger stemmed from a cyclical pattern of discussion going wrong, with both parties to blame.  The trigger might have been different than other times but the pattern of thoughts were familiar.  Each party made mistakes they had made before. Because of this, what God led me to do next was a revitalizing new trail.

In the past I have viewed that apology after conflict should go something like this: I say I am sorry for my mistake, then the other person says sorry for their error.  Both say I forgive you and we try again. What happened recently was very different for me because I felt God leading me to just say sorry for my part and not be concerned with the other person’s role in the problem. I learned that an apology that is well received does not include listing the other person’s faults.  In Matthew 7, Jesus stated that we should first take the plank out of our own eye, and then we will see clearly to remove the speck from our brother’s eye. I believe a humble apology that focuses on one’s own mistakes is one way we can do this. The faults of the other are still there and should be addressed at a future time, but not while apologizing. 

Owning our mistakes and asking for forgiveness when others have hurt us is difficult.  It is humbling and it can be confusing. But it is love, because love is not proud. I found that much prayer, reflection, and letting God’s Word speak truth into my heart helped me know which parts of the conflict were my sin. I also found that writing out my apology, even reworking the words over and over to ensure I removed the log in my eye, enabled me to give a sincere apology. Two of my apologies last month were written out ahead of time and read by the hurt family member. These went better than the other one with less preparation because in that case, I unfortunately once again started to list the other person’s sin rather than just my own. Bumpy road indeed. 

Proverbs 15:1 says “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”. 

I pray as you walk through challenging moments in your relationships you are able to take time to step back to look at your own mistakes, possibly apologize, and find new habits and paths of healing as you move forward in God’s restoring love.

Christine loves words: having stimulating conversations with people, reading a variety of books, and most recently, the words she writes.  She is a teacher who is just beginning to write for audiences other than herself in her journal or her students’ parents.  Christine lives in Langley, B.C. and enjoys coffee, being outside, and making memories with her husband and four kids.

The Rhythm of Rest - guest post by Christine Smith

 “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

The dictionary defines rest as the state of inactivity during which the body and mind become refreshed.  As I think about my slower summer rhythm, I realize it is more restful than my regular routine because I have a break from some of my activities. My duties as a teacher are put on hold and my parenting responsibilities decrease.  God created us to need rest.  Like a good teacher, He also modeled resting for us. After God created the world and all of creation in six days, He rested for one day. When Jesus walked on this earth, He regularly left his work to be alone, pray, and sometimes sleep.

For me, the first step in resting is to stop certain activities. Stop standing and sit down.  Stop working and sleep.  Reflecting on rest as stopping has caused me to think of the rests in music.  Musical rests signal an instrument or voice should stop for a short or long time. These rests shape the music, adding beauty, excitement, and intrigue to the song.

Examining the different musical rests can serve as a good reminder of the different kinds of rest we need. Eighth rests are short, barely there, like catching our breath.  This can be like taking a break from our work to grab more water, a coffee, or a snack. Quarter rests are more significant.  I have learned from sitting with children as they learn to play piano that a quarter rest requires some counting practice.  Over time, however, a musician can feel the quarter beat and it becomes a more regular rhythm, like getting enough sleep to restore our bodies or making a habit of regulating how many sweets we eat to help us stay healthy. 

A half rest is longer.  It reminds me of practicing a regular Sabbath.  About ten years ago, I became convicted that somehow in my spiritual life I had overlooked the command of Sabbath.  I was raised with this concept but somehow as an adult, where stores were open on Sundays and part-time jobs required Sunday work, I forgot how important a weekly rest is and that it is a command, not a suggestion.  After a few bumpy years of practice, Sabbath has taught me how to rest and has become a regular habit that I now look forward to and delight in. Sabbath rest is essential because it recharges me and gives me new perspective.

The last type of rest is the whole rest, not playing for a whole measure.  This is the kind of rest during a busy, tiring season that I yearn for and look forward to.  This rest is longer, extended.  It allows us to stop our hustle and bustle to either be still and do nothing or allow new activities to fill that space, just like when some instruments in an orchestra stop so that others take the melody.  For me, this rest comes on a holiday, where I leave many responsibilities at home and instead enjoy extended time reading, playing with my family, and delighting in a different corner of God’s magnificent creation.

Just like the psalmist prayed in Psalm 90:17, we need to ask God to establish the work of our hands, including the breaks that enable our work to continue and be fruitful.  When we accept the pauses the Holy Spirit leads us to take, our souls will be restored and the rhythm of work and rest will create beautiful melodies in our lives. 

Which type of rest might the Lord be asking you to practice in this season of your life? It is my prayer that He will help you discern which green pasture and still waters He is calling you to today.

Guest post by Christine Smith - Truth, Fire and the Road to Emmaus

Truth, Fire, and the Road to Emmaus 

This March teaching has held a higher level of anxiety and reflection than any other year. It has been 12 months since COVID-19 changed each of our lives. A year later, I find myself having adjusted somewhat to the new normal of masks, handwashing, and social distancing. It is time to teach the same topics as I did last March, including focusing on the same Bible stories as Easter approaches. 

One of the stories that greatly resonated with me last year was the Road to Emmaus. My teaching partner suggested we teach it so we could talk about trusting God “in these uncertain times.” To my delight I was able to find ways to make this story relevant to seven-year-olds on an electronic platform during our new online e-learning time. 

 Each Lent I take time to read in detail the accounts of Holy Week. This year, however, I started with the Road to Emmaus, as this story had brought me hope and direction last year. This account is a great roadmap in learning how to trust Jesus more in every season of life. Just as the disciples needed to grow in this area, so do we, whether at the beginning, middle, or end of a pandemic and really, in all of our troubles of this world. 

As the story reveals in Luke 24:13-35, trust is not something the disciples had that Sunday so many years ago. The Scripture said that their faces were “downcast” and that they “had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Had hoped. Their hope was gone, dashed. 

 Jesus, not having indicated who He was yet, goes on to point out their lack of faith. “How foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” Then “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” I cannot help but wonder if they had heard some of these things before but had merely forgotten. Perhaps some of these truths never actually took root in their hearts at all. They did not believe what the Scriptures said and as a result, their joy too was missing. 

Once Jesus revealed himself to the disciples they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Not only was their hope restored, so was their energy and passion, such that they ran over two hours back to Jerusalem. As many of us have learned and relearned, spending time with Jesus is the best way to restore joy to our souls. 

During different seasons of my life, I have found it extremely valuable to write out and frequently read what is true. My soul is strengthened when I read truths to myself that I find challenging to believe. A year ago, in response to this story, I had my students rate how easy or difficult it is for them to believe certain statements that are indeed true for all of God’s people, such as “God forgives all my sins.” or “God is with me all the time.” Reading their responses brought me joy and I accepted the opportunity to pray for their belief in God’s truth to grow in their hearts. 

 What truths do you need to remind yourself of today? How will you take time to be with Jesus and let His words build a fire in your soul? Just like the disciples, may your heart burn with a fire of joy, energy, passion, and renewed purpose to glorify Him this Easter season.

Christine Smith loves words: having stimulating conversations with people, reading a variety of books, and most recently, the words she writes.  She is a teacher who is just beginning to write for audiences other than herself in her journal or her students’ parents.  Christine lives in Langley, B.C. and enjoys coffee, being outside, and making memories with her husband and four kids.