He sat at a family-sized table alone, pouring all of his attention into the study Bible opened before him. I imagined that the baked potato sitting at his side grew colder by the second and wondered if it felt neglected by his lack of interest in it. I sat enjoying my own meal and as I watched his fixed attention on the wrinkled pages before him, my curiosity only grew. The questions became a pile in my head and before I knew it my two legs were bee-lining me to the lonely man. It was only as I stood before him that I realized I had no plan. 

I sat down and launched into my jumble of questions. He smiled at me and answered each of them simply, then he asked me what I knew about the book in front of him.

“Well, I don’t know everything,” I said as I began explaining that the Bible is a story about a perfect God finding a way to save a sinful world because He loves them.

Our conversation plunged deep into theological ideas as we shared stories as well as things we had learned while studying the Bible. This stranger had years of life experience on me and all I wanted to do was sit and learn. 

Then he said something that stuck to me. An air of confidence and purpose filled him as he said, “There are two things that put me at an advantage when compared to the world around me. The first being that I have been forgiven for more sins than any of the rest. The second being that I lead a life void of distraction as it can be.”

I leaned in close as he proceeded to explain his latter claim. He no longer had a wife, his children were gone, he only used the internet to study the Bible, he owned the simplest phone he could, he had no TV, no dog to feed or walk. When he went home at night he had his Bible. When he was alone, he was with Jesus; digging in and learning about the God he so dearly loved. 

He used 2 Corinthians 4:18 to explain why he chose to live a life so free of distraction:

“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

What we see is all around us. Lift your eyes from these words, what do you see? All of it is temporary. One day it will no longer be. Our world is ruled by mindless distractions. The devil uses these temporary things to slow our pace as we run after Jesus. How much of your time do you pour into the temporary?

But what is unseen is what will last. Our God is unseen. Our souls are unseen. These are the only things that will last, and so this is where we must fix our eyes and focus our time. My restaurant friend has it right. He is fixing his eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and caring for the souls of the people around Him by sharing Jesus with them. Any moment he has, he spends it connecting his heart to the Lord’s or sharing what is unseen with people around him. 

He challenged me. I was able to look at my own life and see places where I allow distraction to rule it. There are temporary things that the Lord is asking me to use as a tool, but how often do I allow these things to keep me from chasing after what will last: my Father in Heaven and His love for me?

I do not know where my friend is now. When we parted ways he left me with a hug and his phone number on an old dentist appointment card. But the Lord used our time to spur me forward and encourage me as I pursue a life defined and motivated by Jesus and His love for me. 

I have spent my time recently asking myself questions that have lead me towards reflection:

• Where do I spend most of my time — is it in pursuit of storing treasure in Heaven and investing in what is eternal?

• How can I eliminate distraction and what would be a better use of my time?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stuck in the middle of it all: the middle of transition, the United States, and life itself Abbie seeks to delight in all of it; to laugh at the mundane as well as the intricacies of life. She finds joy in meeting women where they are at and pushing them to give more of their hearts to Jesus each day. For more from her visit her at xoxoabbie.com or follow her on Instagram @abbie_norris.