Fatal Distractions

Psalm 1:1-3

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. "

I absolutely love to read books! For most girls, this extreme fetish is more directed towards shoes and purses; however I am not the typical girl. I am sure my friends would agree that I am not typical in any way, but that is a discussion for another day. But my fetish is books! I love the smell, I like reading insight from other's perspectives. I like writing all over them when I agree or disagree. I just love books. No matter how much I love to read though I hardly ever find enough time in the day to read the books that I am currently reading. Today though was a rare day. As a random winter blast has blown in, now that spring has just begun and as the rain continued to drizzle, I packed up my books and headed to Starbucks. I cannot describe how refreshing it was to sit on the dirty Starbucks sofa chair, kick back, drink some wonderful Starbucks coffee and read.

I then went home to get ready for the day and headed to the church office to spend some time working. However, somehow I found myself searching for books to buy online, in which I did purchase a few. But even after my purchase, I continued to browse off and on. Searching for anything and everything and wanting it all. But then suddenly I was struck with the question of why I was so interested specifically in wanting to purchase all of these books. I honestly don't think there is anything wrong in and of itself with loving books. Books can offer a lot of wisdom. They can provide insight into certain situations and topics that a person could possibly not obtain any other way. However, books along with anything else in our lives can become harmful if we allow it. If I am not careful I can get so distracted by books that the Bible gets pushed further and further away. Instead of seeking truth from The Truth, I instead start searching for answers from other sources.

The Bible does not say "blessed is the man whose delight is in people, or books, or shoes or friends... or anything else that you can put into that sentence. These things that fill our thoughts and time I would call "fatal distractions." It instead states that blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord." He does not only read it and moves on to other things, but instead he meditates on it. And he doesn't just meditate on it for a quick five but instead he meditates on it, day and night. In the beautiful simile used here, it is the "law of the Lord" that gives life.

How often do we spend our time doing other things, and filling our time with other things, these fatal distractions and looking for answers and comfort in other places. For some reason, to my embarrassment to admit, maintaining a practice of meditating both day and night on Scripture has always been a struggle. However it is so vital. It is so vital because it is at the core of loving the Lord and fruit bearing. And this is why we are here.