Tuesday Read: Distraction as Discipleship's Enemy

Peter was walking on water - actually defying gravity through faith - when "he saw the wind" and immediately began to sink (Matthew 14:30). What changed? Not the storm, not Jesus's power, not even Peter's faith fundamentally. What changed was Peter's focus. He shifted attention from Christ to circumstances, from the miraculous to the threatening, from faith to fear. And the moment his gaze moved, his footing failed.

We live in the most distracted era in human history. The average person checks their phone 150 times per day, spends hours scrolling social media, consumes endless news cycles, and juggles multiple screens simultaneously. Our attention spans have shrunk to goldfish levels, our ability to focus deeply has atrophied, and our capacity for sustained thought has been decimated. We've become mental hummingbirds, flitting from stimulus to stimulus, never landing long enough to go deep.

This matters spiritually more than we realize. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24). Divided attention is divided worship. When our minds constantly fragment across multiple priorities, we're not serving God with whole hearts - we're offering him whatever scraps of attention remain after we've given our best focus to everything else.

Martha was "distracted with much serving" while Mary sat at Jesus's feet (Luke 10:40). Both women loved Jesus, both wanted to honor him, but Martha's distraction with good things caused her to miss the best thing - simply being present with Christ. Her service became noisy activity that drowned out the voice she most needed to hear. How often do we serve Jesus so busily that we forget to actually be with him?

Paul commanded the Colossians: "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). The word "set" implies intentional, sustained effort - not casual glances toward heaven between earthly obsessions, but determined, consistent focus that requires fighting distraction. It's the same word used for setting a ship's course or fixing a foundation. This isn't optional; it's essential.

Dallas Willard wrote, "The most important thing in your life is not what you do; it's who you become. And who you become is largely determined by what you think about." Your thoughts shape your character, your character determines your choices, your choices create your life. If your thoughts are fragmented, distracted, and scattered, what kind of person are you becoming? What kind of life are you creating?

What has your attention today? Where does your mind naturally drift? If someone analyzed your screen time, search history, and thought patterns, what would they conclude you worship? Distraction isn't neutral - it's a discipleship issue. Every moment of divided attention is a moment of divided worship. Choose focus. Fix your eyes on Jesus, "the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Everything else can wait.