Seed Thoughts

// Lynette Hagin

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be Like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." —Isaiah 58:11 (NIV 1984)

Have you ever started a project and never finished it? I started knitting an afghan many years ago that is still unfinished. In fact, I started it so many years ago that I have even lost the skill of knitting! While it takes work and energy to start a project, it takes more work and energy to actually finish it.

Why is that? We are constantly bombarded by things competing for our attention. Therefore we become distracted and get sidetracked. One definition of distraction is "anything that gets our attention off of what it should be on." Nikita Khrushchev was once head of the former Soviet Union. He used to tell a story of a time in that nation when there was a wave of petty theft. To curtail it, the authorities posted guards around the factories.

At a lumber factory in Leningrad, one guard knew the workers very well. The first evening, out came a worker with a wheelbarrow carrying a great, bulky, suspicious-looking sack. "All right, Petrovich," said the guard. "What have you got there?"

"Just sawdust and shavings," he replied.

"Come on," the guard said. "I wasn't born yesterday. Tip it out."

The worker did so, and out came nothing but sawdust and shavings. So he was allowed to put it back in the sack and go home. When the same thing happened every night that week, the guard became frustrated. Finally, his curiosity overcame his frustration. "Petrovich," he said, "I know you. Tell me what you're smuggling out of here and I'll let you go."

"Wheelbarrows, my friend," said Petrovich.

The guard was so focused on the distraction that he missed the obvious. God wants to speak to you and give you direction. But He is saying, "You must remove the distractions from your life."

Even everyday life has many distractions. How many times have you walked into a room and then asked yourself, "What am I doing here? I came in here for a reason. What was it?" This has happened to all of us. Somewhere along the way we became distracted by something or someone.

Have you ever started the day feeling good about your To-Do List? You were proud to be organized; you had good intentions. However, at the end of the day you were frustrated. Nothing on your To-Do List had gotten done, because you had been interrupted and distracted.

Life often seems to consist of rabbit trails rather than highways. We are always moving but getting nowhere. Life's distractions dictate our decisions and control our schedules. Our lives are filled with the urgent, and we have no time for the eternal. We have tended to a million little things and left undone the big things. We have filled our days with things that do not ultimately matter and left undone the things that do matter.

It is time that we get back to the essentials. I like Matthew 6:33–34 in The Message: " 'Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.' "

We need to give God our full attention. How many times have we said to our children, "Look at me—I want your full attention"? I wonder how many times God has said, "Listen to Me!" and we were so distracted that we didn't even hear His voice, much less heed His instructions.

God wants to lead, guide, and direct our lives, yet we are letting the distractions of life keep us from even hearing what He has to say. The Holy Spirit has been sent to be our Guide. John 15:26 (Amplified) says, "When the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me."

The Holy Spirit does not holler—He speaks in a still, small voice. We must become quiet to hear His voice. All too often we expect Him to yell and we ignore His whispers. We get so caught up in distractions that we do not even hear His voice. I encourage you to concentrate on eliminating distractions. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your Guide. Stay sensitive to His voice, and He will always lead, guide, and direct you down the right path and help you make the right decisions.