When I played soccer in high school, all the players enjoyed the games. Few of us enjoyed the monotonous skill-building exercises. No one I knew enjoyed the grueling conditioning exercises. But our ability to win games was largely determined by how hard we pushed ourselves in practice.
Constant practice is the only way any skill is grown and maintained in anything, including the skill of distinguishing between fruitful focus and unfruitful distraction.
But How?
Yes, but what do we do to constantly practice resisting distraction? I told you up front that I had no distraction hacks to offer. And neither does the Bible. Have you ever noticed it rarely gives us clear, practical how-to’s? Why is that?
One reason, I believe, is that our behaviors are driven by divergent and complex factors, and so formulas are typically of marginal help. What helps me may not help you much.
But another reason is that the difficult process of wrestling through ambiguities and internal resistance and confusion is part of the training itself. We learn necessary things about our affections, weaknesses and bodies. The difficult process ends up yielding benefits of increased faith, wisdom and perseverance that extend far beyond just the issue of distraction.
If we ask God, he will give us what we need in this fight (1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 4:19). But we must keep in mind: All aspects of the fight of faith is a fight (1 Timothy 6:12). We need to build endurance (Hebrews 10:36). We need to learn to discipline and control our bodies (1 Corinthians 9:27).
God isn’t merely concerned with the most efficient way to free us from distraction. He’s concerned with what will produce the greatest and most enduring spiritual fruit in our life. So, prayerfully aim to defeat your distractions through the slow, steady insurgency of building new habits, one at a time.
This article on how to defeat your distractions originally appeared here.
