My New Year's Resolution

The truth is I really am a fairly well adjusted 39 year old male. I don't think I'm going through any kind of mid-life crisis or anything like that. But I am a sinner, and almost everyday I re-remember that stark reality, which is my day-to-day crisis. Something will happen or a series of somethings that will stick the reality of my sinfulness right back in my face again. I'm pretty sure it's God. Theologically I would bet it's actually God the Holy Spirit doing everything from a gentle and friendly whisper to a swift kick in the pants. It seems like lately it's been kicks more than whispers. I get that from time to time.

I've been confronted by the Holy Spirit lately with a pattern of sin I'll call obsessions. Another word might be distractions. These would be any regular behaviors, not necessarily sin in and of themselves, that you focus on and participate in to the point of obsession, and that distract you from your life's mission. When I thought about this I realized that these two words, obsession and distraction, are not words I want to go together in my life very often because when they do, I'm much less effective as a husband, father, son, pastor, preacher and disciple to name a few. More to the point, when obsession and distraction become characteristics of mine to much degree at all, I'm not just "much less effective", in fact, I just plain suck at everything else but sin.

I don't know about you, but it seems like there's a laundry list of these kinds of things that wrestle my attention away from the really important stuff. Actually, most of the time it's more like inviting me out for an ice cream cone than wrestling me or picking a fight. I want to give in because I enjoy each thing so much. Put what you want under the category of obsession or distraction from fantasy football to video games to watching t.v. By the way, my fantasy team is about to win the championship! See what I mean?

I am disgusted often when I add up how much time I spend on things that don't matter versus things that my life depends on. I'll bet I could have read the Bible through three times in the same amount of time I've studied espn.com this year for example. Well, I guess I have a new New Year's resolution. Here's to doing better next year! I pray you'll do better too.