DISTRACTION

Since reading this book, I have tried to be more aware of what is happening around me. 

In "Soul Cafe" Leonard Sweet says, "One of the saddest things that can be said of anyone is that greatness passed by, and they did not recognize it."

"Every human being has at one time or another felt that morning wind blowing by; every one of us has been privy to that uninterrupted poem of creation. Yet how many of our ears have really heard it; how many of our eyes have truly seen it? How many of us consistently snore through all the beauty of the dawning day?"

"Some reach the end of life and never realize the future they hoped for, some never pausing long enough to discover who they even are:

Within my earthly temple there's a crowd;
There's one of us that's humble, and one of us that's proud.
There's one that's brokenhearted for his sins,

There's one that unrepentant sits and grins.

There's one that loves his neighbor as himself,
And one that cares for naught but fame and self.
From much corroding care I should be free,

If I could once determine which is me!

Sweet ends with this illustration....

"The moisture of clay is the expression of the clay's receptivity to the potter's will. If the clay remains hard and refuses to allow itself to be moistened, the best potter in the universe cannot fashion a thing of beauty out of it. It will be a crusty clump of clay, unformed and unfashioned forever. And just like hard clay, our hearts can become hard and unresponsive. In this state we can completely miss the purpose of our life."

And sometimes we can miss our purpose simply because of distraction ....

"Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been? I've been to London to look at the Queen. Pussycat, pussycat, what did you do there? I chased a little mouse under the chair." 

The cat was in the presence of greatness, but was completely distracted by a mouse.

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10-22-2017 - Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene: Pastor Ray Stark's challenge today was to increase awareness of the presence of God in our lives. This will mean dealing with distractions. So, with God's help, we will intentionally step up to a new level of awareness of God's presence each day. By God's grace - we will minimize distractions during the next month - and beyond.