EP 187: Reclaiming Ordinary Life in a Distracted World
Inside: In a world that moves so quickly, small, intentional choices help us slow down and truly be present.
Slowing Down Enough to Notice
My husband and I have been away from home for a bit this winter, and we’ve found ourselves becoming snowbirds — something we never thought we would do. But living in Wisconsin has changed us a bit. Over the years we started heading South for one week, then two, and now here we are for almost six weeks.
It’s been a time for us to slow down and actually have time to think and ponder and plan and dream together. We get some play time in, and we still work down here, but this time together is what we cherish most.
As our time is winding down, it has me thinking of the pace of life we live when we get back home. Our life is full, and I so love it and the season we’re in, even now that we’re officially senior citizens. But I know how easily the pace picks back up when we return home.
Our world seems to move so quickly. Our life feels busier now than when our kiddos were home with us. I am a productivity nerd, and whatever I can make more efficient or optimize, I’m all in. I can measure my productivity at times by how much I get done in a day. I’m very wired to everything, and I have an app for most things — from tasks to recipes to my Bible and prayer time.
It’s made me think about how quick I can be to fill the quiet spaces in my day with always doing something, as if I always need to be productive or busy.
Listen in to the Podcast (9 minutes) or read the post below (7 minutes):
The Life of Jesus Looked Different
Jesus walked and talked with His disciples (Mark 3:14). He made time for people (Luke 18:40). He noticed individuals in crowds (Luke 19:5). He sat and ate with people and dove into deep conversations (Luke 7:36–50). He wasn’t rushed (Mark 5). He withdrew to quiet places to pray (Luke 5:16).
Sometimes the demands on my day can feel overwhelming. It’s not always just the tasks, but at times the demands on my time to meet and minister to others. I want time to spend with my children and grandchildren, other family members, friends, and our church family.
And somewhere in all that busyness, my heart gets busy too. Some days I honestly don’t know how to quiet it. Being away has helped me see how much the pace I keep at home affects my soul. When my calendar is full and my mind won’t shut off, I end up living distracted, and most of the time I don’t even notice it’s happening.
When I look at how Jesus lived, I’m reminded that being fully present with people in the ordinary moments of life matters to God. And the way I spend my days is shaping my heart more than I realize.
The Formation We Don’t Notice
When my days are constantly full and noisy, I notice that I become less attentive to the Lord and to the people right in front of me. Even my prayers can feel shorter and more hurried if I find myself praying at all. I can find myself half listening to people, and my thoughts are already moving to the next thing. Instead of taking the time to read a deeper article or book, I find myself just skimming and not really taking in what I’m reading. My mind is too busy and distracted to truly be present. And I don’t like that.
Too often I can rush too quickly to fill boredom, whether it’s mindlessly scrolling or eating when I’m not hungry. But I forget that boredom has a purpose because it creates space and slows us down. It gives us time to think and dream. It helps us to solve problems and it teaches us to pray.
When we are bored, what do we reach for? What are we drawn to? Those small choices are shaping me. If I am always reaching for noise or distraction, I can become uncomfortable with silence and lose the ability to linger.
Psalm 1 describes the one whose “delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Meditating on God’s Word slows us down long enough to think deeply on it and let it sink in.
But that doesn’t happen without intention. It requires us to pursue quiet and be willing to sit with something for a while. I don’t linger well. It doesn’t come naturally to me, and I have to choose it.
Small, Intentional Choices
The good news is that it doesn’t take dramatic changes. It begins with small choices made again and again.
For me, that might look like letting one quiet moment stay quiet instead of immediately reaching for something to fill it. I want to keep phones away at dinner and linger a little longer at the table, to look someone in the eyes and really listen, and to read a chapter or an article slowly instead of skimming and moving on.
I want to open my Bible before I look at my phone in the morning, and some days sit with one verse instead of rushing through a chapter just to check it off. And once in a while, I’d like to drive in silence instead of filling every minute with input. Even for a productivity nerd like me, these little choices are retraining my heart toward presence and toward the Lord.
We don’t have to reject technology. I’m grateful for it in so many areas of my life; it truly is a blessing. But we must refuse to let it train us and disciple us.
And the hearts we carry into eternity are being shaped right here, in the ordinary moments of our everyday lives.
