Distraction or Design? Just Ask God

Who’s that woman looking back at you in the mirror? Did you ever expect to see her? How fast did this version of you arrive? Yesterday, I was at a high school celebration for a remarkable young man. His mom reminded all of us of how time flies away from us. I’m also reminded of this every time I see a former student toting their own bundle of joy on a hip. I’m especially reminded of fleeting times when I have a former student’s child in class. Talk about feeling old! 

My younger self never imagined my older self being a school teacher. Of all the things in the world I could have pursued and spent my life doing, I never foresaw it as being a teacher. I’m sure there are people out there who went to bed healthy one night and never expected to wake to the phone diagnosis they received. I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t rewrite that script of their life if they could.

My younger self also spent a lot of time in prayer with God about having my own family one day. I’m not talking about praying; I’m talking about begging. I wanted a husband and children so badly. I remember those prayers when life gets hectic and my duties become demanding. One can’t complain when they’ve begged God for it, right? 

No way would I want to return to the baby days because, man, they were tough! Tim worked nights, and it was just two kiddos and me. I was immensely grateful to God many nights that I got everyone back in bed alive. 

Even though I wouldn’t go back to that time, I also never imagined I would be a mom of adults. Nor did I ever foresee myself as a mother-in-law. I blinked, and here we are. A former boss once told me not to blink because every time one blinks, time passes. I thought he was crazy until it happened. 

I also never saw myself stressing about aging… until it happened. I’m not so worried about the extra lines in the crow’s feet or those from laughing so much. But, I feel increasing stress as another year adds on, and I move closer to expiration. What if I haven’t accomplished everything? What if I haven’t done all the things God wanted me to? 

At the end of every school year, I always wonder, will I do this another year, or am I supposed to do something else? Do I want to teach reading again or try to find something in science? Do I want to stay in middle school or go back to elementary? What about teaching high school? Do I want to pursue another degree in educational leadership, theology, or community college? 

As a teacher, I always reflect after every school year. But, man! Sometimes, I think I reflect the daylights out of something! Reflecting gets that little hamster in my head off his wheel, and before I know it, he’s running rampant on an obstacle course he can never complete.

Have you ever thought about those over-reflections being distractions from Satan? Now, I know I often credit Satan with things that he had no hand in. Trust me, I can totally trainwreck many things, and I don’t need Satan’s help at all to do it. However, along with filling my brain with distractions, Satan also discourages me. If he can get my hampster off his wheel and to chase other things, then he has also snuck discouragement in on me. I must be discouraged, or I wouldn’t be chasing other suggestions. 

Growing up in church, I was always afraid of Satan. What kid wouldn’t be? I mean, as adults, we’re always cautioning children and telling them they don’t want to go to hell. Reminds me of the time I read Hasel and Gretel to my kids, socked them in a bed, and then became frustrated with them because they were afraid to sleep alone. 

My role as an “elder” is to teach young children about God and Satan. Not only do I need to be aware of Satan’s tactics, but so do our children. One cannot help but fall for Satan’s schemes if one doesn’t know what they are, how to recognize them, and what weapons they have in their artillery to use in the spiritual battle.

Just about any time I search online about a characteristic of Satan, one of the very first ones to fill the screen is most likely this one written by Peter: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 

For some reason, I grew up learning more about God than I did about Satan. I don’t know if my parents sheltered me and only wanted me to know “good” things or what the reason was. I remember the first humanities class I sat in when I was in college and the shock I experienced when the professor told me there was more than one religion. All I ever learned about was the Christian faith. It’s how I was raised. How could I know there were other religions when all I experienced was the Christian faith? 

I knew Satan was bad and evil, and I should always stay away from him. But, I didn’t know “how” he was bad and evil. I had no idea, as a young person, all the different personas he could possess. And, as an adult, I’m still struggling to decipher between God’s plan and a distraction. I can’t remember how the saying goes, so I couldn’t find the source of who said it. But there’s a famous saying that goes something like this. If Satan is working hard to distract you, then what you’re doing must be going to be great.

The only real way I know to be in God’s will is to converse with Him constantly. God’s plan will never go against what His Word says. So, I also must be in a constant relationship with His Word, the Bible. Man, do I fall short in this area? I need to improve on this; the only person who can follow through with that is me.   

As I go forward, still trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing, I want to do it with God’s leadership. As I’m about to embark on another VBS, I want to help young people understand why Satan is terrible and how he can attack them. I want to equip them to fight him and not just fear him. Finally, I want to remember what Jesus’ brother James says about life being “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Because tomorrow is never promised, I must get busy and do His work today.