Present Versus Distracted

The other day my 15-year-old daughter was leaving to go somewhere, and I asked her, “where in the world are you headed?” She looked at me perplexed and responded, “mom—we had this conversation, and you gave me permission to leave for a friend’s house.” Suddenly, I remembered a slight interaction regarding plans. Had I once again agreed to something while I wasn’t paying attention?

The crazy, busy world we live in has made multi-tasking a thing, and while I believe there are some things that can be done simultaneously (that don’t require much thought), there are a multitude of other things that should have our full attention! Your brain, as complex as it is, was created to only focus on one thing at a time. As I thought about my conversation with my daughter, I was reminded of the other times I tried to multitask conversations and relationships. Whether sitting at dinner or across from my hubby on a date or scrolling through social media while my kids are talking to me--how many times are we truly present versus distracted?

Having our attention is a big deal to God. In fact, in 1 Kings 19:11, we see God coming to speak to the prophet Elijah. Elijah was waiting on the mountain to hear from God. Could you imagine what it may have felt like waiting on a mountain for the God of the Universe to speak to you? God didn’t come in an earthquake, fire, or wind. The Bible says God spoke in a quiet, gentle whisper.

The Hebrew phrase “gentle whisper” means “the sound of thin silence.”  I wonder how many times in the day and age that we live in, God tries to speak to us, yet our attention is in a million other places? The noise and busyness around us can actually cause us to drown out the voice of God. Take some time today to be aware of your distractions. Try backing away from the constant noise of life and focus on the gentle whisper. The question for all of us today may not be does God speak, but rather – is my heart positioned to hear Him amid the chaos?

Unplug, walk away from distraction, social media, email, and text, and find some moments in the thin silence to hear from Him.