King David writes in Psalm 90,
"O God, teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well."
I have been pondering that plea lately.
Here's what I've noticed:
I am incredibly distracted!
I know I have written about this before,
but guess what?
I haven't solved the problem.
I have so many thoughts about how distracted I am I can hardly sort them all out to write about them!
So I am just going to start and see where I go ...
I went into work a day ago and was flustered and frenetic and flailing when I arrived.
I shouldn't have been.
I had work to do, yes, but nothing that should have made me hop around my office like a crazed woman.
So, I thought about my morning, what I did before I arrived and I noticed a theme.
I got up early. Check.
I read quietly, journaled and prayed. Check.
But then I decided to watch some morning news, I walked the dog and listened to the radio while we walked, I checked Facebook, e-mail, Twitter, then I got in the car and tried to connect my phone to the bluetooth audio system and couldn't get it to work, which caused me grief (as if it was a big deal). So I listened to more morning news ... checked my phone one more time before heading in to the office ...
And when I arrived at work my head was full of noise and words and alarming stories and breaking news and tweets and ...
I am generally a smart person, but I have been rooked.
God never shouts at me. But he is rather persistent. And I have been feeling a growing sense of unease about all the noise and words I am taking in, all the while wondering why I feel so jumbled, so scattered, so darn distracted.
So, this morning after some exercise, I sat in silence for a good chunk of time. As I prepared breakfast, no tv. I put the phone away. Left the computer off until I actually really needed it. Walked the dog in the sweet quiet of the early morn. Listened to classical music as I drove.
And when I sat down to work, I got out one project, just one. Not twenty. And I focused, and felt my spirit settle in to good work that I love. And my brain was calm, open, quiet, and available for wisdom that can only make itself known in stillness and peace.
It's a battle, isn't it?
O God, save me from distraction. It is an insidious, sneaky little thief that promises life, but actually sucks the very life right out of me. O God, teach me to live well ... teach me to live wisely and well. AMEN.