Handling Distractions
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well."
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well."
And instantly the woman was made well." Matthew 9:20-22
Insight
How do you handle distractions? I mean, we live in a world of them. It appears the more critical the task at hand, the more distractions that pop up. Most of us get a little frustrated at distractions. We look at them as some hindrance to our primary focus. But what if the moments or people we considered distractions were opportunities?
When you look at Jesus' life on earth, situations we would perceive as distractions constantly met Him. In the middle of an important lesson, the Pharisees would try to trip Him up with a trick question. While speaking life into someone, and people would swarm around. Even in today's passage, many around Jesus perceived this desperate woman as an inconvenience and distraction.
She showed up when Jesus was already helping someone else out. He was on His way to heal a ruler's daughter. As they walked, people pressed in, but the woman with the blood issue pushed a little bit harder. Finally, she was able to break through the crowd and lightly touch Jesus' garments and was instantly healed.
The reason this was significant was this woman was healed in several ways. We often celebrate the physical healing this woman experienced, but it was not the only miracle she received. Her blood disorder made her a social outcast, viewed as an unclean member of society - a burden she lived with for 12+ years. Yet, when she touched Jesus' clothes, He turned and, with love in His eyes, called her "daughter." Let that sink in. For the first time in who knows how long, someone called her daughter. I can only imagine the overwhelming sense of love and belonging she felt at that moment.
Jesus continued His original mission and healed the ruler's daughter. But what we need to recognize in these encounters is people often stopped Jesus, and He never considered them a distraction, welcoming everyone that crossed His path. Instead, Jesus made time for those we would consider a distraction because He knew they mattered.
God never promised that people and relationships would be easy or convenient on our schedule. Every person we lock eyes with is God's child and carries with them immeasurable value. As Christ-followers, Jesus called us to love and care for people at all times and in all ways.
So, this will be a challenging perspective shift for some of us that will take some time. Our schedule routinely dominates our time, energy, and effort. Yet, the beauty of Jesus is He does not consider any of us distractions. Jesus gives us His complete attention, so why shouldn't we provide the same to the people in our lives?
Reflection
Think about creating some margin in your schedule for the pop-ups from other people. How can you trim your schedule to care for others?
Prayer
Father, thank you for not considering me a distraction. The way You give me your full attention is undeserved and mind-blowing. Yet, when I call, You answer. I pray I make time for the people in my life. May I never view one of Your children as a distraction but instead see them with the immeasurable value You have given them. Thank you for being You, Jesus, and I pray in Your name, Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today's devotional.
