Exodus 24:8-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a serious issue, but some people treat it as a laughing matter. Because we tend to over commit to things and we've convinced ourselves that we are skilled at multi-tasking, we get distracted by the many things that are competing for our attention. As a result, we make mistakes and forget to follow through on our obligations. Rather than treat it as a problem that needs correction, there are people who lightly pass it off as their “ADD” acting up. In reality, most of us do not suffer from ADD, at least not medical ADD. But a great number of us do suffer from spiritual ADD.
Spiritual ADD is our tendency to lose focus on Christ and the Cross because we are distracted by the things of this world. These distractions come in many forms, but they all tap into our sinful desires to secure worldly glory for ourselves and to avoid the sacrifices and hardships of the crosses to which we are called. It’s the same desire for glory that was behind Peter’s statement to Jesus on the mountain when he said, “Lord, it is good that we are here” and wanted to build shelters in order to make the experience more lasting. Our hunger for the comforts, securities, and pleasures of this world turns our attention away from the Word and the will of God and fuels our spiritual ADD. Soon the distractions become the main things in our lives and we give our thinking over to the “cleverly devised myths” that reinforce the world’s glory and justify our desire for it. We even lose sight of what the Church is and import our worldly distractions into worship and mission. It’s so bad that we are in danger of being distracted to death.Struggling with spiritual ADD is nothing new. This condition was troubling the early Christians in the same ways that it troubles us when Peter wrote to them “we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” The answer to our spiritual distraction is to understand that God’s Word is the sole source of life and light in our world and that there is nothing else that can bring us what His Word brings us. In contrast to the Word, everything in the world is spiritual darkness. Everything. All human wisdom, knowledge, and reason is darkness and death. All earthly glory and worldly treasures are worthless. Once we grasp this truth and realize that there is only one light, we can turn our attention away from the darkness and fix it on Jesus. When our focus is on His love, mercy, and grace, what could distract us?
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