Ignoring Distractions

It seems like most everyone has “their place” where they like to sit and relax after a day of hard work.  For some it might be their living room couch, others prefer a hot bath, but for Justin and me, it is our back porch.  You can find us there at some point on most any day of the year.  It is covered and somewhat protected from the wind so unless it's snowing or a sauna, you will find us there.  


Recently we were sitting on our porch, looking out at the backyard which connects to a golf course.  We could see a hawk sitting on the top of an electric pole across the way.  Justin watched as a blue jay flew from one tree directly toward the hawk on the pole.  The blue jay would swoop down toward the hawk, turn, and then head back toward the tree it came from.  After watching this take place a few times, Justin drew my attention to it as well.  We literally sat there and watched that blue jay go through the same routine at least 10 times.  And you know what that hawk did each time the blue jay swooped for it?  Nothing.  It didn’t budge, it didn’t turn its head, it didn’t fly away.  It simply held its ground and looked straight ahead; unphased by the distraction around it.  

Nehemiah felt God calling him to Jerusalem to help rebuild the wall and the Temple.  As Nehemiah was helping rebuild, there were many people in opposition.  These people wanted to distract Nehemiah from completing the work that God had called him to.  They tried many different things in order to discourage or distract Nehemiah from his work.  In chapter six, they try to set up a plan to actually harm Nehemiah.  Nehemiah says in verse nine, “They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining they could discourage us and stop the work.  So I continued the work with even greater determination.”  Nehemiah stayed focused on the task ahead.  He held his ground and used the distractions and discouragement in his life for greater determination.  

God has called you to a purpose and passion.  Each of us has a calling and a plan.  What distractions is the enemy using to try and discourage you from stopping the work?  There can be a lot of different things that can remove our focus from what God has called us.  It could be people that are discouraging, it could be situations that arise that seem hopeless, or maybe it is your own voice of doubt in your head.  We all have “blue jays” in our lives that are trying to distract us.  Our goal is to find a way to take on the posture of the hawk.  May we become unphased by the distractions around us and instead use them as opportunities to propel us to greater work.