DISTRACTIONS

Three hours! I spent three hours this morning attempting to get my new drivers license and NC car tags. I came away from the three hours empty handed. It's amazing to me that I can surf the net, bank online, enter a federal prison or critical care unit with relatively little identification. But to get a drivers license in NC I have to have an "original" birth certificate, social security card, utility bill and other permanent forms of ID. You would think I was applying to work for a nuclear power plant! I just want to drive my car people.

So I get to the office at 10:30 AM mad as a hornet (whatever that means). I was so flustered that I couldn't focus on little spiritual things like counseling, sermon preparation, staff meetings, prayer, and saving the world. As I opened the Word of God (finally), I was brought to Luke 10:38-41. Here I identified with Martha (not Mary - unfortunately). Martha was so frustrated about the secondary things (preparing food) that she failed to do the primary things (listen to Jesus). How easy it is to let the little things distract us from the important things. I remember a Mother Goose rhyme about the pussy cat:

"Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I've been to London to visit the queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under the chair."

The cat was in the presence of royalty but missed out on the queen because he was "distracted" by a mouse! How often do we miss out on opportunities with God because we allow distractions to focus us on secondary things?
Needless to say, I ended this morning with repentance.

"Lord help us to stay focused on the important things and not be distracted by life's frivilties. In Jesus' name - Amen."