What is getting my attention?
Last week, I read a friend’s description of how her sleep improved after she stopped wearing her Apple Watch during the day. That caught my attention, so I ditched mine right away. My sleep has improved, but that isn’t really the main point. What I began to notice was that without all the input from my Apple Watch, my days felt more joyful. There was no tap, tap, tap with a text, a phone call, or a reminder to stand up, take a walk, or breathe deeply. I hadn’t realized how affected I had become by all that input. It was stealing some of my joy—and I was choosing it! Here I am, one week later, enjoying my analog watch and using my brain for many more things than I realized I had handed over to my Apple Watch. Isn’t it interesting how the world can creep in little by little until it has more of a hold on us than we realize? That’s often how the enemy works. Now, I’m certainly not saying Apple Watches are evil! I started wearing mine mainly so I could glance at texts while working without being tethered to my phone. But the tethering happened anyway—just more discreetly than I ever realized. Even good things can tap, tap, tap our attention away from what is better. Surely I’m not alone in looking up from my phone and realizing I just spent an hour mindlessly scrolling through something I never intended to be reading. With so many things constantly competing for our attention, the tap, tap, tap of the Holy Spirit can become harder to hear. That’s not what I want for myself, and I’m guessing it’s not what you want either. So this month, let’s pay attention to what is tapping for our attention. What might be quietly stealing our joy, distracting us from the people right in front of us, or keeping us from noticing the voice of God? I’m praying the Lord will reveal those things to each of us and help us turn down the noise so we have more room for Him—more joy in knowing Him, more joy in sharing Him with those who don’t yet know Him, and more joy in serving the people He has placed around us. Maybe sometimes we need to silence a few taps so we can hear the One that matters most.
Firm Foundation: Resilience After Trauma One of the reasons I wrote Firm Foundation: Resilience After Trauma was to share the practices God has used to help me become more aware of what is happening in my heart, mind, and body—and then intentionally turn back toward Him. Sometimes building a firm foundation isn’t about making a huge change. Sometimes it’s simply noticing what has quietly gained our attention and asking, Is this helping me become the person God is calling me to be? That’s a question I’m asking myself this month, too. |
On My Nightstand
This book was a serious page turner. Suspenseful, unpredictable, and fast paced from the very beginning. I would love to say I will read the rest of the series, but I read before bed and this got me too worked up to sleep easily! If you can sleep after that, great. Otherwise, this might need to be a daytime read only. The main characters are Christian which is super refreshing.
Making Peace with What I Can't Control by Lysa TeerKeurst I started reading this one thinking I'm not sure if this book is right for me or not, but the tag line at the bottom got me: Find Relief from the Exhaustion of Overthinking, Trying to Fix Others, and Wanting to Figure It All Out. Sometimes that is me and I have learned several behaviors that I need to adjust in order to continually surrender people and situations in my life to the Lord. It has a companion Bible study also with video access included.
Revelation: The Ultimate Hope in Christ by David Jeremiah My small group is using this as we study the book of Revelation. It breaks down the book into manageable reading segments so we aren't overwhelmed. It includes questions great for personal reflection and discussion.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today. I never take for granted that you include this as part of what you read —and, in a small way, invite me into your life. As we step into October, I’m praying we’ll notice what is getting our attention and make a little more room for what matters most. Here’s to fewer unnecessary taps and more joy in the month ahead.
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