We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1
The hubby was driving and waited outside while I ran into a veterinarian’s office several years ago. When I came out, I was telling him all about a yellow Lab I had seen while in there. I was able to tell him all kind of details about how the dog looked and behaved because the dog had my full attention.
The hubby all of a sudden started acting like an interrogator from the police department. Was the owner male or female? Easy one! The owner was a male. We had a conversation about the dog where I learned the dog’s age. What did the owner look like? How old was he? I couldn’t figure out what all the questions were about. Frankly, the guy could have been anywhere from 20-50 years old. All I saw was his jeans because they were in my vision while I was looking at the dog. Was my hubby jealous? He never gets jealous! Nope, he was proving a point.
My youngest can’t tolerate artificial dyes and high fructose corn syrup in his food. When I go to the grocery store, I have to make sure that I read the ingredients of everything I’m purchasing. I give those packages my full attention. While I’m intensely studying a label, everything seems to disappear around me. I’m focused! This has led to some pretty interesting situations that I have gotten myself into.
My hubby has kindly gone along with me to buy the groceries, but as I’m focused on the product, he manages to mosey into a different isle. I’m thinking he’s still standing there, so I start talking to him. When I turn around because I’m not getting an answer, I tend to find people looking at me strangely because I’m talking to an imaginary person! I’ll say, “He was here a minute ago.” Some people believe me and some just give me a wide berth. Thanks hubby. I’ve even started talking to another guy until I realized it wasn’t the man I married. The poor guy just laughed at the shocked look on my face when I finally realized who I was (or wasn’t) talking to.
The character trait for today is Attentiveness-showing the worth of a person or task by giving my undivided concentration (definition from characterfirst.com).
The point my hubby was making with the dog at the veterinarian’s office is that I’m giving my undivided concentration to the wrong things. I’m not aware of what’s going on around me…oops, there went alertness too. He was telling me I needed to be observant for my safety.
The lesson I learned at the grocery store was that even though I was attentive to my task of getting food for my son, I didn’t have alertness for my surroundings. The right response isn’t talking to another guy thinking he’s your husband!
Why can I show such attentiveness to a dog or to a product label outside my home, yet go into a crazy multi-tasking mode where it’s safe to have such attentiveness? I’m not focusing on the most important people in my life like I should!
Are you being attentive to the right things at the right times? Unfortunately, the ones that are most important to us are also the ones that seem to not get our undivided attention. This goes for God too!
Do you put down the phone and focus on your loved ones when they’re talking to you? Giving them the same consideration as you would give to an outsider shows them their worth to you and reminds them that you respect them. If the kids are interrupting a talk with your hubby, let them know that they can’t do that. That’s showing the worth of their father. It’ll be a lesson that’ll help them have a strong marriage in the future.
Today, make it a point to pay careful attention to what God is telling you so you don’t drift away, but also pay careful attention when your family is talking to you so they don’t drift away!
