It’s so easy for me to be distracted. To let my eyes wander, to get sucked in and not even know it until it’s 9pm at night and not feeling accomplished. In our world of constant media it’s a fight and a challenge to keep our eyes on this above, or even just things that are life-giving. Instead of life-sucking.
I love the verses in the bible about light and darkness. I know they mean really big things but I also see how practical they are as well. This verse especially.
Matthew 6:22-23 22 “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
For me darkness doesn’t always lie in scary dark alleys. Sometimes darkness enters my eyes through TV shows. Through hours on social media. Through comparison. Through weariness during challenges.
Since Cal was born I have tried to find simple and actionable tools to help keep my eyes on Jesus and less of what the world wants or “expects” from me. I thought I would share them if they would help you at all in your day to day. PS. None of these people are sponsoring me, I just love these resources so I want to share.
Influence Network Classes & Podcasts
These are my go-to during the day when I need something to help break up the laundry, editing or unloading the dishwasher again! (it never stops right?!) I also turn these on when I want to watch another Scandal or Nashville episode. (Now don’t get me wrong I get sucked into those drama’s, but I always feel unsettled after them, so I choose to watch these more often) I try to really limit screen time for our little, but I feel like learning from these amazing women make it totally worth it.
With every class you take you get the recording or you can purchase past classes, I rarely make a class live these days, but love hooking my computer up to my tv and hearing TRUTH on a whole bunch of topics! My favorite classes so far? This & This. I have a membership and I get a free class per month and my membership is only $10 a month. Win. WIN. Their podcast channel is free and I just love those too. A favorite of mine is Shauna Niequist’s. Listen to around 14-15 min and on especially! I LOVE.
I subscribe to IF:Equip and it’s totally free. I love this because I get it every morning and it reminds me in the midst of my work that Jesus is first! I also love this because we read the BIBLE the actual verses, and then watch a quick 2min video discussing it and then engage in comments below. It’s a great community to be a part of!! Check it out.
Quick uplifting and funny reads
Devotionals, which I will talk about in a second. But the books that have caught me by surprise and filled my heart so much are these short reads about motherhood and Jesus. Loving the Little Years, Out of the Spin Cycle, Diaper Bags and Church shoes & Mom enough. All of these books made hard moments laughable or validated and or right at the feet of Jesus.
Other devotionals that I am or have worked through in the past month. Naptime Diary, These two other seasonal devotionals, (but you could do anytime of the year, as I didn’t do them during the season.) Advent Devotional & the Lent devotional that I had the amazing opportunity to contribute in. I also am reading through Savor daily right now as well. I will be starting the Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer 31 day study in June! This book is so great and I feel honored I was asked to write one of the prayers/chapters in this book!
Y’all!! I love Rev Well! and the sweet Alisa Keeton! For this momma who hasn’t been able to do much of any working out due to milk supply being affected. The few times I have been able to tune into working out my heart and mind are worshipping. I am not in the, I hate my body zone while working out. I am hearing truth and it’s been so powerful! I am SO stinkin’ excited to add this to my daily routine when Cal turns one! There are tons of free videos online, but I love the VIP TV and the sweet community that is there. I hope to become an instructor someday! I will also be doing her WLFM workbook as a devotional this summer also!
I really have noticed that having scripture in front of my face whether it’s on my wall or desktop screen it keeps my heart focused. So I have strategically placed scripture prints or canvases in the areas that I spend the most time in. There are so many great vendors so far our house displays Naptime Diaries, Lindsay Letters and Lara Casey.
I also love wearing clothes or dressing Cal in clothes that remind me of the Lord! I love Grey Thread and Walk in Love. There are so many others on Etsy I would love to order from as well!
Powersheets are always a favorite of mine. When I am feeling all out of sorts I can peek at my tending list and get one thing checked off at a time. I love that this set of papers helps me remember what matters most in my life. I often get refocused and motivated to action. Now fully honesty, I haven’t filled in my May sheets and I definitely have noticed more frustration in my everyday! So excited to get reset for June! I also love using the program Things to keep just 3-4 to do’s in front of my brain a day, but have the rest of the to-do’s scheduled and ready to go.
Since I believe in all of these awesome resources I am giving away a bundle some of my favorites of Eyes on Jesus toolkit!
Win a $10 gift card to be spent on an Influence Class, copy of Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer 31 day devotional by Well Studio, Making It Happen by Lara Casey , The sold out Lent Devotional by Naptime Diaries and a surprise extra gift that I will choose just for you!
To enter just leave a blog comment about what is your biggest distraction from keeping your eyes on Jesus or what works for you in to keep your eyes on what matters during your everyday?
Winner is Laura D!! I will email you with more information.
I too feel like I have difficulty focusing when I want to get caught up on my favourite shows. But, I also find it easy to set my mind on things above by having bible verses around me. I have so many verses written down that I want to display throughout my house…but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. One day!
Gina,
So encouraged by this post. I’m sitting at my desk on lunch break right now and I’ve already sent this on to a few girlfriends who will be encouraged by all of these great resources, too!
I am definitely distracted everyday by trying to constantly appeal to authorities of the world. Bethel Music has been the soundtrack of my days lately to help keep my eyes fixed and I’ve been a frequent “need your prayers!” texter to my “home team” of girlfriends.
Thanks for this!
xo, Laura
Right now, I am just drowning in everyday life. I have almost-three-year-old twin boys and my baby boy just turned one. I spend my whole day navigating toddler tantrums and the like, and my energy is so sapped. I know that the true irony of this is that I need God most in these moments.
I was just talking to my small group about this topic last night. Media and comparison really can distract from keeping our eyes on what matters (Jesus) and Matthew 6 is my theme for this year. So this post really spoke to me today! Thank you! My biggest distraction is comparing my life with others on social media and not being grateful and content with what the Lord has given me!
I find if I neglect myself, I become my biggest distraction because my basic needs are suffering. By going to bed at a decent hour, having snacks prepped, and making sure I move my body (either workin out or going on a walk) my overall view is totally different. I reach out to God more when I’m rested, read his word, and help others when a little self care is implemented.
Girl, I LOVE this post! Matthew 6:22-23 is completely hitting home for me right now…trying to keep my eyes on light-filled things as opposed to things that aren’t uplifting. Tbank you for sharing today!
Not surprisingly, my biggest distraction is social media. I’m trying to find a good balance between the fun found in that and being productive each day!
My biggest distraction from keeping my eyes on Jesus is the kickback and grumbling that occurs when things begin to get uncomfortable or veer away from my own personal agenda. It is so icky to type but it has been the very thing oppressing me lately and it is a method that the enemy uses to try to make me feel inadequate and less-than.
My biggest distraction is probably comparison whether it’s from social media or elsewhere it can derail me. What helps is getting grounded from reading the Bible and just being mindful of keeping the conversation going all day with God.
My initial response to what keeps me distracted is being a Mom, staying at home, having moved away from an amazing community of friends (which makes the photos you captured for us so much more amazing to me). But really it’s all the change that has occurred this last year that I’ve allowed to awaken my laziness rather than my neediness for Christ that keeps me distracted. It’s my own wandering self, soul, mind that drags itself down. My pride that I let keep me from being vulnerable. But when I am vulnerable about my laziness, weakness and sin, then I can refocus. It’s then that the beauty of seeking Christ really comes to life. When we are vulnerable we become open, our perspective changes and people are invited in so accountability is created. It’s that accountability along with some form of structure that keeps me from running back to the tired, weary, I can do this alone camp, and pushes me to the tired, weary, sitting at the foot of the cross camp. Just getting there is hard. But in thankful for all the resources you shared, I’m definitely going to check them out!
My biggest distraction from keeping my eyes on Jesus is definitely myself. So often, I get into this mindset where it’s all about me and about the things that I want to accomplish and do that day – and it’s a constant reminder to keep my eyes fixed on Him and to be finding my worth in Him. My worth is not found in my Instagram account, my facebook, my friends or my blog. My worth is found in Him alone – and spending time with Him is how I am going to truly let that resonate in my heart and mind.
I agree, Gina! It’s so difficult to stay focused on what truly matters as we work in a creative world full of beautiful things that can be so distracting and self centered. I have to confess that perhaps my biggest distraction from keeping my eyes on Jesus are the tangible things that are right in front of me (email, sometimes people, business, TASKS). I’m at the very beginning of this next chapter as a business owner and am so grateful that God has opened my eyes to doing business with am eternal purpose. Since the conference, I’ve been waking up early and spending time surrendering fears, frustrations, and any self-centered thoughts I have. It’s been an amazing transition! Thanks for being YOU.
My biggest distraction right now is the continued struggle to have a baby and worrying about myself in the process. I get so blinded in the every day worries and fears about having a child and spend so much time thinking about myself and not about Jesus and His plan for me. I see my friends having babies and getting pregnant and start the comparison game, when I know doing that is not drawing me closer to Jesus. Especially the last month I’ve have felt myself so distracted and really needed this blog post to help put me back into my path of spending time with the Lord everyday. Thank you for posting- such a good reminder to spend time throughout the day with Him.
For me being in a women’s Bible study has helped me be the most consistent with my time in the Word. Having a group of women to keep me accountable and encouraged is so great for my walk with the Lord. I also love reading a devotional out loud with my son as we eat breakfast in the morning.
I get distracted when I start to compare myself to others. When my mind is filled with thoughts like: “I’m not as good as so-and-so”, “Man, her life looks so much more awesome then mine”, “Ugh, I wish I had that house/job/opportunity/body type ect. as that girl”, there’s no space for Jesus to speak TRUTH to me. One thing that helps is gratitude. Once I start naming the things in my life that I have to be thankful for, I notice that I start to look for the good and I am more content and less apt to compare myself. My phone is also a huge distraction, so I use an app called Scripture Typer and I put in where my email app used to be. I habitually always click there, without even thinking (eek!), and before I realize I’m not checking my email, I’m refocused and typing out a verse that I’m memorizing. 🙂 Thanks for sharing all of these awesome resources!
Seriously love this post and all of these resources! I have been loving If Equip the past few months and am excited to check out some of the rest! I agree that distraction creeps in so easily- it can be especially hard when I am tired and feel like I deserve to just be lazy. I’m the kind of person that loves to have music on all the time and I have found that what I’m listening to has a big impact on these distractions and my overall mood. This little change has been so monumental in keeping my eyes on what really matters.
My biggest distraction is social media and just reminding myself that I need to keep my eyes on Jesus. I am trying to find the right balance between social media being fun and it being just unhealthy.
I am a work at home mom and it is hard to keep it all balanced and make sure my daughter is getting enough of me and that I am doing enough in my work. Thank you for these ideas for getting me back on the right track.
It’s so hard working at home, and being a mom, and staying focused on what’s most important. I really love the She Reads Truth app for daily devotionals. It’s easy for me to read anywhere! I am really interested in the Influence Network and taking some classes, I already love the podcast!
My biggest distraction? Two little kids who keep me hopping all day long. What keeps me focused? Writing/Journaling, Prayer, Time in the word each morning. (Really want to work harder on the journaling part, I haven’t been doing it lately and I know how much it helps!).
My biggest distraction is my lack of time management. I really want to be better at that. Especially with my desire to adopt this summer. I’m at times now feeling like I am failing God by not having enough time for him..
Playing a Playlist [or pandora] of hymns realy helps me…I often hum or sing along. My phone is so th worst distraction 🙁