I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best with as few distractions as possible.

— I Corinthians 7:35

As the day unfolded, my wife’s and my carefully crafted plan began to unravel.

We underestimated the time it would take to finish the first project on our to-do list.

We were then intercepted on the way to the next by an urgent situation that we couldn’t foresee and couldn’t ignore.

In our enthusiasm, we added one at the end of the day that wasn’t on the list, only to realize halfway through we had missed a previously scheduled engagement. Ugh!

Paul was acutely aware of our tendency to get distracted when he wrote this verse to the Corinthian church.

He had just finished providing some strong coaching related to relationships and then told them the reason — “to do whatever will help you serve the Lord with as few distractions as possible.”

Paul was laser-focused. He cared for the eternal. Stuff of earth had no appeal to him. Serving the Lord was first, and everything else needed to support it.

Distractions are headed into your world and mine at a furious pace.

Too often, we fail to evaluate just exactly what we are doing and why.

One of the biggest reasons for that failure is we simply don’t want to do something different from what we are.

If we stop and seek God, he might want to make adjustments.

It’s time to ask ourselves the fundamental question, “What life do we truly want to live, one of our making or one of his making?”

Stillness

Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper — it only leads to harm.

— Psalm 37:3-8

I stood at the tank mesmerized.

The aquarium’s display of jellyfish from around the world, illuminated with colored lights, absolutely captivated me.

Living creatures suspended in the water, weightless. Their movements, so graceful and effortless, were truly hypnotic.

Everyone who walked into the room immediately grew still.

My imagination sprung to life, and the whirl of racing thoughts hit a pause button.

I think King David missed the simple shepherd David’s stillness.

His Psalms, like the one above, make it very easy to see David imagining himself back in the fields with his flock, lost in the flickering constellations.

Trust. Take delight in. Commit everything to. Trust. Be still. Wait for. No worrying, anger, rage or temper.

These are the instructions of a person seeking the solace that only his creator can provide.

Determined to fix, we press relentlessly into whatever challenge lies before us.

“If it’s to be, it’s up to me” becomes our mantra.

Problem solvers. Movers. Shakers. Git-r-dun guys. We’ll figure it out.

Life, however, has a funny way of bringing us to the end of ourselves.

Storms completely out of our control crash to pieces our carefully crafted plans.

A little help, David?

“Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act.”

Wiles is senior minister of Fall Creek Christian Church in Pendleton. He can be reached at 765-778-3166.