“…so I replied by sending this message to them: “I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?”

How many times today will we be distracted?  Right in front of us we have one thing that we need to get done today (and sooner than later) but no matter how we are focused, we get distracted.  The phone rings, the text comes in, the notifications pop up, the head comes over the cube wall.  We live in the time of distraction making it sometimes seem that focusing is impossible. It means we need to find another reason why we need to focus and sometimes that it reminding ourselves of the greater impact of our work.  I recall something I heard about focusing our minds when trying to find some peace and quiet, that we need to put the goodness we can do for others first so that we can be dedicated to bettering ourselves, for them.  The same can be said for the work we have in front of us.  When we complete this task or project, who will benefit?  And those who do, if we can’t focus for ourselves, can we focus for them?  I know we can do that!

Nehemiah was under all out attack to not finish the wall he was building. It was one distraction after another and these were deliberate distractions meant to cause him and his builders to lose momentum, motivation and focus.  But, when we read on we learn that by not allowing himself to be distracted that he got done in 52 days what it took 100 years to get done before.  Yes, when we focus in on what God is asking us to do and what He puts in front of us, we can do more than would be humanly imaginable.

Reference:  Nehemiah 6:3 (New Living Translation)