Open yourself to the wisdom you need

Being truly present to the light and the darkness, the hope and the restlessness that’s all around and within you—is nonnegotiable. When you’re aware, you shift your focus from what should be, would be, or could be to what is. You receive the moment. And when you do, a stillness, a spaciousness, a freedom opens up within you. When you’re truly present, you’re no longer reacting to situations, demands, and impulses. You’re not resisting life, nor are you grasping frantically for some fantasy you’re chasing.

Instead, you’re open to what is, and when you are, the deepest and best kind of wisdom can finally come to you. Your intuition merges with God’s revelation and you receive a sixth sense, born of the Spirit whom Jesus sent to teach us everything (John 14.25).

The insanity of our distracted lives

Next time you’re stopped at a stoplight, look around. Notice how distracted people are. Drivers are texting, fiddling with the radio, talking to someone beside them or someone at the other end of their wireless phone. The man in the car beside you is shaving. The woman behind you is putting on makeup. It’s little wonder we live through our morning commute. And maybe we don’t. When we’re distracted, we’re not really living. We’re not really here. Our hands may be on the wheel, our bodies in the driver’s seat, but our minds are miles away, everywhere but here . . . now. If we knew better, we’d lock ourselves up for such insanity!

It’s one thing to be awake. It’s another to be aware, alert, and conscious of the life you’re living now. If you’re going to find God—if God’s going to find you—you’ll have to bring yourself to the only place where such a meeting can take place—here . . . now.

This moment is alive to the fullness of God

Spiritual practices can help us live more focused, more meaningful lives. Recently, I invited you to unlearn your distractedness.  Consider a baby I suggested.

Another way to unlearn distraction is to study a dog—they never obsess about the past or worry about the future. Their minds aren’t busy elsewhere. They seem to have an inherent belief in the goodness of the moment. Merely mention a dog’s name and his ears perk up, his eyes brighten, and his tail wags as if to say, “Hey, does life get any better than this?”

Jesus once pointed his distracted and worried followers to the birds and flowers around them, inviting all who seek God to imitate them, to be radically present to life here and now. “Do not worry about tomorrow,” he said, “for tomorrow will bring worries of its own” (Matthew 6.34).

Jesus taught that the present is all you need, for this very moment is alive to all the fullness of God.

Practicing Relinquishment: An Interview with John Gabel

Distraction is epidemic. You don't have to look at the driver texting in the car beside you to witness this truth. You are distracted--much more than you'd like to be. Real focus, concentration, and the kind of awareness that brings us back to our senses spiritually, bringing us happiness and meaning, requires some degree of relinquishment.

In this interview, John Gabel talks about what relinquishment means in his life and how this neglected spiritual practice is enriching his daily experience.

Unlearning your distractedness

There’s a big difference between being awake and being aware, alert, or conscious to what’s really going on around and within you. Consider a baby. When a baby’s awake, she’s also present. She’s not learned enough to be distracted. She takes in everything around her, absorbing what’s coming to her at the moment. It’s little wonder Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 18.3).