Distractions Part 2

As we look forward to a new year, let us not let distractions stop us from reaching our goals.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see another year.  I can’t wait to see what God has planned for me.  Yes, next year will bring its challenges and its joys, but it will be a blessing to be in the land of the living.  God has been too good to me to stop serving him now.  As we look back at all the things that God has brought us through in 2015, we all can testify of his amazing love for us.  We serve a patient and loving God.  He loves us despite our short comings and our disobedience.  He loves us even when we let things distract us from doing his will.

I thank God for loving me and yes I have let distractions stop me from completing “Distractions Part 2”.  The distraction of work, putting work before my writing.  Many of us put work and our careers before everything.  We make the pursuit of money and things our main focus.  We put work before family, church and God.  Some of us do not pass up any overtime and are always available when our jobs want us to work, whether we have to or not.  By making work our main focus we miss spending time with our spouses, children, family and friends.  Then when we think we have achieved the pinnacle of success, the success that the world says we should acquire, we look up and find ourselves alone.  We find ourselves estranged from our spouses, we don’t know our children and have no close relationships with family and friends.  But if we seek first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness, then all these things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33).  If we put God first in everything we do, then he will make sure we have the desires of our heart.  He will make sure we do things the right way.  He will help us navigate around the things that would distract us from achieving our goals.

Another thing that can distracts us is tiredness.  I am too tired to write.  I can’t focus or think clearly at this moment.  Tiredness is one distraction that continually stops me from achieving my goals.  I can be all fired up and ready to write, but if I sit on the couch just to rest, I usually find myself sound asleep. We let being tired and not having enough energy stop us preserving and pressing forward.  But we seem to find the energy to do the things we want to do, such as shopping for Christmas gifts or to attending Christmas parties.  We continue to put off what we could do today and leave it for tomorrow.  We need to know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  If we ask he will give us the strength to accomplish our goals, he will give us the strength that we need.  We have not because we ask not.

As we get ready to embark on a new year, let us not let distractions stop us from reaching our goals. We have to continue to run this race called “faith”.  We have to believe that God did not give us these dreams and visions for them to lay dormant inside of us.  We have to continue to persevere, even though we may be tired we can spend 5 minutes working on our dream.  We think we have to spend hours working on our dreams each day.  All God wants is for us to step out in faith and do it. If we spend 5 minutes today working on our dreams, then spend 10 minutes tomorrow, we will find that each day that we work on our dreams we are creating a habit.  If we step out in faith and work on our goals, God will give us the strength to continue.  He just wants us to be obedient.

It is said that it takes only 21 days for anything we do to become a habit.  Let us start today creating new habits.  A new year is upon us, let us lay aside anything that has hindered us in the past.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Lay aside anything that will distract us from reaching our goals.  Let’s make working towards our dreams and visions a habit.  Daily spend time working on our dreams, whether its 5 minutes or an hour.  We will not let any distractions stop us.  In 2016, we will be all that God wants us to be.

LSW