Some friends of ours used to be in a band called Distractions of Less. Awesome friends and awesome band. I’m not sure exactly what the name meant, but it got me thinking today about all the things in my life that distract me from the life I should be living.

I’ve got a new house, with a brand new kitchen, brand new appliances, brand new cabinets, super nice I think. Yes, the old kitchen was disgusting and torn up and had to be torn out. And I think if you’re gonna remodel, you should do it right, increase the value of your home if you can afford to. But with all that said, I can’t help but feel like it’s all useless. Not the kitchen, but this wanting of things. I get caught up in that sometimes. I get distracted. I forget that I could have everything, and still have nothing at all… if I don’t have Love. I don’t mean to feel loved, or to be in love, but to have love for others; compassionate, giving, non-self-seeking, sacrificial love. Of what eternal worth is any of this stuff I want everyday?

I could chase every temptation and never find fulfilment; everlasting Love.

Even with self-improvement. I could change my life, I could do all the right things, give to the poor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, befriend the lonely, never lust or lie, no greed, give all my money away, etc…but if I do it selfishly, not out of love, then I have nothing. If it isn’t rooted in Christ, it’s useless. I heard a song on the radio today that said “If you ain’t loving, then you ain’t living”. And I couldn’t help but think of it in these terms (not in the context intended) and how true it is. Paul says…

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Love God and love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-40) The greatest commandments. I know this, yet I get distracted by stuff, by sin, by looking it on the outside and not living it on the inside. But there’s nothing more important. I either live for Christ, or I don’t. There’s no in-between that will get me by. My life should be characterized by these words,”To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Because nothing in this life will last but Love. Friends, please help me and pray for me as I aim to get rid of distractions and to live in Christ.

Thanks for reading. See you soon.

-Kevin