People suffer writer’s block for many different reasons: lack of sleep, apprehensiveness, hunger, illness, and sometimes reasons that can never be explained. I have a reason for my writer’s block that might be the same reason lots of people, in many different jobs, are not performing their work to the best of their abilities: a messy desk.
There are days that I don’t want to sit down and write a column because I know that my concentration and creativity will be distracted by items upon my desk which need to be resolved. These materials have been tossed to the side due to time constraints, need for sleep, and the general mayhem that is a part of my life.
My writer’s block is a direct result of the junkyard of distractions on my desk. My peripheral vision will just not let me focus on the task at hand. Until I organize, file, and mail off the different paperwork cluttering my desk, I cannot truly get down to the business of creating a new column. Once I remove the mounds of paperwork and rediscover the desk I work best on, I am able to let the creative juices flow. I concentrate best under the umbrella of organization. Chaos does little for my writing career.
When we spend time alone with God, praying, meditating, or fasting in order to draw nearer to Him, we must work to eliminate the worldly distractions that clutter our God-seeking concentration. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
How can I give God all of my attention if all of my attention is not completely focused on His majesty when I speak to Him? Can we listen to a teacher and a fellow student at the same time? Sure we can. But we will not be giving either of them the respect and attention they deserve. Can you think of anyone more deserving of our undivided attention than the creator of heaven and earth?
Let me say this another way: If you were invited to attend a lecture given by a highly respected scientist who promised to explain the secrets of the universe, talk about the first days of our galaxy, and accurately predict the future of the planet we currently reside on, and you accepted this invitation, would you give this professor your undivided attention throughout his talk. I know I would.
When we accept God’s invitation to become a new creature (see 2 Corinthians 5:17) in Christ, our focus should become the Audience of One, The Holy of Holies, and the King of Kings. When I sit down to write a column, I clear off my desk and approach my work with clarity of thought and determination to complete the task at hand. In the same manner, when I pray to the Living God that has transformed my life, I focus on the importance of what I am doing and the awe inspiring Being that I am addressing.
Psalm 24:1 (NIV): “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” What distractions warrant keeping us unfocused during our one on one time with the Lord? I can’t think of any, can you?
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"What distractions warrant keeping us unfocused during our one on one time with the Lord?" I can't think of any either. It's so important that we set aside that one on one time with absolutely no distractions! At the same time, I've found that anytime and any under any circumstance, God is near and we should not allow menial tasks to keep Him from being part of our everyday living. The dishes have to be washed. The children must be tended. Work must be done. But we'd be at a terrible loss if we thought we couldn't commune with Him during those moments. I truly believe He wants to be part of our everything. Speaking of which, I've got dishes waiting on me to wash them. I believe I'll ask the Lord if He will commune with me as I go about the task.
Dan, this is food for thought. A problem I have with my desk is things are coming into the in-box faster than I can get them into the out-box. (smile) Thomas
