Keep Moving Forward Along That Road
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who set up divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Distractions are devious things. They are everywhere, and they appear at the least opportune moments. They steal precious time away from the things that we cherish the most.
Distractions can and often do pull us away from those things we want to do, and from those things we ought to do.
As I sit here writing this, random thoughts keep emerging inside my head. A YouTube video clip I want to rewatch. A bit of music I’d like to hear….again. None of these thoughts help me write anything at all. They slow my progress. They make the writing hard.
Yet these are the minor distractions. They are momentary impulses that come and go. They make writing hard, but not impossible.
There are distractions that are not so minor. Will people like what I have written? Will I get more subscribers? Will I get criticized for sharing this on LinkedIn or other social media? Will I be “canceled” (again), or even doxxed?
There are even discouragements. There are the mockings from those who would disparage what I write. There are the trolls who will tell me to simply be silent, and not to write at all. There are those who will tell me I am wrong for saying what it is I have to say.
Such thoughts, when they emerge, threaten my writing by encouraging me not to write at all. Such thoughts, when they emerge, threaten my writing by encouraging me to belittle whatever it is I have to say, and to seek the seeming safety of silence.
Yet we are not called to silence. We are called to speak whatever truth we have, whenever we have it. Jesus Himself taught as much during the Sermon On The Mount, when He exhorted His followers to “let [their] light shine before men”.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
If our light is made manifest through our words, silence is not possible. We are commanded by God to speak, to say whatever we have to say.
We are commanded by God to speak our truth, never mind the distractions.
We are commanded by God to do this not once, not twice, but always. We are commanded by God to do this not just on one day, but every day.
We will be distracted. We will receive discouragements from the world around us. Thoughts will intrude at inopportune moments, stealing away our words and confusing us into silence. We already receive such discouragements, and suffer such intrusive thoughts.
Yet through the distractions, and through the discouragements, we are always called to keep speaking out, to keep speaking and living our truth. Distractions do not change the destination, they merely hinder us from reaching it. Discouragements do not obscure the destination, they merely seek to seduce us with alternatives.
The destination never changes. Whatever road we travel, illuminated by our truths whatever they may be, the destination always remains exactly as it is.
We will be distracted. We will be discouraged. Yet we will still see the destination in the distance, at the end of the road.
If we are to reach that destination, we must keep moving forward along that road.
That, too, is something God calls us to do—keep moving forward along that road. When we get distracted, we called to get back on the road and proceed. When we are discouraged and seduced by alternatives, we are called to cast our eye upon the destination and get back on the road to that destination.
No matter what distractions come your way, no matter what discouragements other people throw at you, the crux of every response to these is the same: get back on that road and keep moving forward.
This day, and every day, that is what we are all called to do.