It was a dark night and we are camped on a small lake in the middle of nowhere in East Texas. As we prepared for bed my youngest son commented on the vast number of stars. He had no idea that there were so many! Then it dawned on me that he had never viewed the stars on a clear night away from the ambient light of the big city. It was a shocking revelation for him. That reminded me of something very important. We can see more when there are no distractions! The stars are there whether we see them or not, but we see their beauty and benefit from their guidance only if our view is unobstructed. The same could be said in regards to God’s presence and promises.
We live in a world of many distractions and if we aren’t careful we will focus on the wrong things. To live a victorious life we must keep “Looking unto Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). As we “consider Him” (Heb. 12:3) we are enabled to push on through difficulties and disappointments. Therefore we must not allow ourselves to be distracted. We must get away, best we can, from the things of the world that dim our vision of Christ.
Keep in mind that distractions are not, in and of themselves, bad things. The city lights serve a good and useful purpose, but they can also hide the stars. Even so, sinless things can become sinful if we allow them to distract us from the more important things in life. The greatest enemy of the best is usually something good rather than something bad. Things that, in and of themselves, are not sinful can nevertheless become a weight that slows us down, holds us back, and keeps us from our goal. They become distractions that are deadly! Just as many accidents are caused by “rubber-necking” many lives are ruined by being focured on the wrong things. A. W. Tozer wrote, “Among the enemies to devotion none is so harmful as distractions. ….Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer us.” To be safe we must turn our eyes upon Jesus and keep them there.–HDS
