Flourishing Life

Photo by Andrew Kow on Unsplash

“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” – Christopher Columbus

A man riding a scooter in the southwest Chinese city of Beihai had a rude awakening last month. He was traveling along, minding his own business, some would say a little too closely, because he was staring at his phone while driving. A few minutes before he crossed a particular intersection, a sinkhole opened up in the middle of the street. Because he was distracted by his phone the man drove the scooter right into the fresh gaping pit. Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt and climbed out under his own power. I’m not sure about his scooter and phone.

The Apostle Paul advises us to “keep alert” at the end of his famous teaching about the full armor of God (Eph. 6). He encourages us to focus our attention through prayer and perseverance. The world offers far too many distractions, and though a sinkhole may not be looming in front of us, the enemy employs a myriad of strategies to keep us from fulfilling our purpose and potential. He sets traps that will trip us up if we’re not careful. We need to pay close attention to God’s loving leadership.

Distracted driving is dangerous. So is distracted discipleship. Let’s stay focussed and keep our eyes on Jesus.