The insurance companies say that distracted driving is the number one cause of accidents in the nation. And I am at fault with this, with extra help from my Attention Deficit Disorder, hey, look over there! I totaled my first truck in 1981 heading back to the farm after classes at the community college. Of course that was an eye opener and I am blessed to still be here today! But needless to say, leading a focused life is quite a challenge for me.
Everyday life in today’s world adds so many distractions to my focus-deprived mind. It was easier back in the days of black and white with only 3 choices of media at our finger tips and no gas money in my pocket but still a challenge. I like to blame the serpent in the garden for being the distraction that has caused this chaos! But as I remember it, they had a choice, and so do I. Elder Thaddeus reminds us: “Because of the Fall of man, the natural order of things has become chaotic. In nature, there is an order for all things, but with man there is chaos, Everything is distorted and turned around. Because of our disobedience to the commandments of our Heavenly Father, we have lost the natural order. In order to reestablish this order, we must practice abstinence.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives)
In this life in warp speed, the Gospel reading today states the thing that our lives should be grounded on: “Come after Me.” [Mt. 4:19] We hear those words from our Savior over and over again: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24), he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me” (Matt 9:9), “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matt 19:21), “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27. Seems like with all of this repetitiveness even someone like me with ADD could keep at least one foot on the path!
Perhaps this temptation of distraction allows me to continually seek repentance and then in that brief moment, I am following Him. And with that reminder I too remember that I am far from perfection. It does seem though if my life depended on it, I could do better! And there it is haphazardly stated, and the elephant in the room; the life to come depends on it. Judgment Day is coming for us all! Follow Him!
And as those distractions keep us turning back to chaos, recalculate your focus and aim your sights on the Light of the world, and He will guide your footsteps on the path to salvation. We seem to have ample time for text messages, social media and entertainment, but make little time for our salvific study, actions and prayer. So how do we overcome this distracted living? Hear what St. Theophan the Recluse tells us: “True, one may know man’s final goal: communion with God. And one may describe the path to it: faith, and walking in the commandments, with the aid of divine grace. One need only say in addition: here is the path-start walking!” (St. Theophan The Recluse, The Path to Salvation: A Manual of Spiritual Transformation)
