To Get Your Attention

Living Lesson: To Get Your Attention

by: Christopher Wiles

It doesn’t matter who you are, someone is trying to get your attention.  Whether it’s a hand raised in class, a campaign advertisement by a presidential nominee, a call light from a patient in the hospital, or a redneck buddy saying those famous last words, “Watch this!”, there seems no end to the line of people you could give your attention to.

Being a middle child myself, I’ve always tried to be especially sensitive to Ethan’s attention needs.  Since he isn’t the oldest, he often doesn’t get the attention that the “trailblazer” of the family does.  Since he’s no  longer the youngest, he often doesn’t benefit from the notice that the “baby” of the family does.  I’ve worked hard to ensure that he doesn’t have to compete with the others to receive adequate personal amounts of my attention.  By actively and purposefully choosing to give him the same amount of attention as his brothers, Ethan’s esteem is high, and our whole family benefits from the balance. 

There is another being who desires the same (if not more) active and purposeful effort of our attention.  His hand has been raised, His campaign launched, His call button pressed, His “Watch This!” loud and clearly ringing throughout His Creation!  Notice what God has been doing so that we would all “seek,” “reach,” and “find” Him. 

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” – Acts 17:24-27 (NIV)

Have you given God much attention in your life?  Today, make active and purposeful effort to seek, reach, and find Him by observing what He has made.  You’ll be glad you did!