When I was a kid, random noises were nigh debilitating to me when  focusing on a single task. This “handicap” affected all aspects of my life, including my work and behavior at school, my athletic endeavors (try making a free throw when you can’t focus on the hoop), and even my relationships. I’m convinced, as is my mom, that I had ADHD (Attention-Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder) as a child, albeit undiagnosed (I’m not even sure it was a “thing” back in the 1970s).

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.
-CDC.gov

To this day, people laugh at me sometimes. No, this isn’t a sob story. For example, they laugh when they see me literally jump in the air at certain sounds delivered at just the right time (usually when I’m concentrating or in deep thought). What they don’t realize is that, for me, concentration is real work, like gripping something as tight as possible, for as long as possible, until you tire and must release your grip. I expend a lot of energy just keeping my own brain in check. If I don’t, it’ll wander off in a hundred different directions. Therefore, concentrating has always been laborious for me. Over time, I’ve developed a variety of strategies to cope with this.

God apparently has a sense of humor, as both of my professions (ministry and industry) demand intense, prolonged concentration. To help, I’ve spent the majority of my professional career, by choice, working from home. My home office is a controlled environment where I can ensure that random noises don’t break said concentration. If I’m tired, it can be very difficult for me to maintain a grip on my brain’s wanderlust. Even the slightest distractions can be ruinous.

I think most people have spiritual ADHD, where myriad distractions in life are like noise. A decade and a half of full-time pastoring has proved this thought. I’ve seen everyone in my congregation (and many of those outside of it) enjoy stretches of focused success followed by periods of distraction. The length of time a person is able to maintain focus on Christ depends on spiritual maturity. However, no one is able to hold on forever. Myriad forms of media don’t help, either (e.g., TVs, smartphones, Internet).

What if there was a way to transcend the cacophony in this world? What if there was a way to relegate distractions as merely white noise? Would this be helpful? I think so.

White Noise:  Also called white sound. a steady, unvarying, unobtrusive sound, as an electronically produced drone or the sound of rain, used to mask or obliterate unwanted sounds.
-Dictionary.com

As I’ve matured spiritually, I’ve learned how to turn potential distractions into white noise (God willing, of course). It’s been incredibly powerful and freeing, to say the least. As a pastor, I am faced with a constant barrage of data which could potentially derail my focus on Christ and the ministry. What’s the secret to avoiding this? Perspective. Here are a few strategies that I’ve learned from Holy Scripture that might help you:
- If it’s out of your control, don’t let it distract you. (1 Peter 5:7)
- The Lord controls history (you don’t) so don’t be distracted by fleshly urges to take over. (Hebrews 1:3)
- All distractions are temporary (ref: This, Too, Shall Pass).
- People are our greatest distractions. Love them because of who you are not because of who they might be or who you’d prefer them to be – this is the power of love. (1 Peter 4:8)
- If you don’t want to be distracted, then stop putting yourself in positions where it becomes inevitable. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
- The only constant in life is change. Learn this and you won’t be distracted by it. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

I’m not proclaiming the above is an authoritative list, it’s just a few thoughts that come to mind as I write this blog. I hope they give you some perspective. The idea is to put all of the potential distractions in our lives in their proper place. The Apostle Paul wrote about this strategy as “[taking] every thought captive to obey Christ.”

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
-2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Paul described the spiritual strategy of relegating distractions to merely white noise. We don’t do this by wrestling with the distractions; rather, we simply transcend them by focusing on Christ. Every thought, every word, every action is fruitful when oriented to Him. Focus on Christ - He is glorious and worthy of your obedience - then everything else in this world fades into the background as merely white noise.

Love in Christ,

Ed Collins