Distracted by "The Naked Truth"

I read a great article in the Times Online (U.K.) that is a fascinating study on how we are distracted. The context of the article is the current political events happening in the U.K.. Due to the troubles in the economy and in the political arena, business people and politicians are being exposed to greater scrutiny than ever before. This opinion piece gives the authors perspective of what is happening because of this greater scrutiny.

You can click on the title above to read the article for yourself. I want to draw your attention to the spiritual lesson we can learn from this commentary. As the author points out, it is easy to let the spectacle of transparency to become very distracting. What is especially striking is her admission that in doing a story at a nudist colony, "It became impossible to take anyone seriously and I couldn't concentrate on any conversation." The issue of transparency became all-consuming, leading to the inability to move on to important matters.

As Christians, it is easy for us to fall into this trap. We look at the problems going on around us, personal, relational, financial, etc. and become fixated on the circumstances. We never look to see where God is working, nor do we return to the Lord to continue the relationship. All we do is concentrate on the problem. For military pilots, this is known as "target fixation," with the idea that a fighter pilot focuses so much on the target, that he will forget about his own safety and fly right into the target.

One of the easiest ways to live a miserable life as a Christian is to focus on your circumstances. Peter stepped out of the boat and started walking on water after Jesus invited Peter to come to him. Peter was fine, as long as he kept his focus on Jesus. The moment he focused on his circumstances, he began to sink. The challenge for you and me is to be aware of our circumstances, because God wants to work in and through us as we navigate the events of our lives. On the other hand, we cannot be focused on the circumstances. Rather, we need to continually return to our relationship with Christ, knowing that our circumstances will be resolved as we walk with Christ.