• Home
  • Our Articles
  • Various Authors
  • Podcasts

Done with Religion

Done with Religion … Not Done with God

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Am I a Fundamentalist Christian?
Why I Doubt the god Of Extremists Or Terrorists! »

Distractions: Why We Don’t Enjoy the Moment

August 10, 2019 by Rocky Glenn

by Rocky Glenn

Enjoying the moment is a personal choice a person makes to be present in what they are currently experiencing and to give that specific point in time their full self. It’s a decision to open oneself up to be vulnerable and a realization the moment may or may not go as we desire. How I treat the one standing in front of me at any given time is also how I decide to enjoy the moment. To not live in the moment is live a life distracted. Distractions keep us from being present and enjoying the moments we live. A distraction is anything which keeps a person from giving their full attention to something else.

The Distraction of Regret

All of us experience things in our lives we wish had not happened or we would have handled differently if given another opportunity. These things range from decisions we’ve made which caused unforeseeable, maybe harmful, outcomes to decisions others have made which had adverse, negative, and possibly even devastating, effects on our lives. Regret imprisons us when we live focused on the “what ifs” and “what could have beens” of those decisions. Replaying scenarios repeatedly in the theater of our mind, we fixate on every aspect of those situations reliving the pain, hurt, anger, and sorrow as if it had just happened. If the consequences are of our own making, we feel we deserve whatever negative results have occurred and wallow in the misery of our shame much like the prodigal son in the hog pen. However, when forced to accept another’s decision we believe is simply outrageous or unfair, we respond much like the prodigal’s older brother. I believe his response of anger to the celebration of his brother’s quickly turned to sorrow and regret with the realization he already had access to everything he was working to attain. Resisting the distraction of regret is not refusing to admit sorrow and remorse for what may have happened, it’s a refusal to remain in that moment and let it define who you are. We must let the past make us wiser, stronger, and grateful for what we have lived through and experience. Regret gives way to self-loathing and bitterness and steals you from the life happening right before your eyes.

The Distraction of What’s to Come

The last four to six weeks prior to reflecting on and sharing about enjoying the moment were a trying and frustrating time as I wondered what lie ahead. Since I no longer have the desire to one day be a worship pastor, what does the future hold? I didn’t begin the blog with aspirations I would one day write full-time, but is it now something to consider? Are there opportunities yet to be discovered which would allow more time for ministry and still support the family? Do I even want to be involved in a ministry at all? What exactly does ministry look like now anyway? Is there an opportunity ahead which would allow Shannon and me to spend more time together helping others while providing an income as well? If those opportunities presented themselves would I be willing to take the risks to make them succeed?

All these questions swirling in my head created a cloudy fog I had trouble navigating. Fatigue and restlessness plagued me as I just could not let go of figuring out what the future holds. Questions swirled in my head like a tornado waking up to start the day, sitting at my desk at work, spending time with the family, working out at the gym, and drifting to sleep at night. The distraction of what’s to come kept me from enjoying my everyday life and, no doubt, caused me to miss small moments of awe and wonder which occurred in daily interactions with coworkers, family, and friends.  I was so caught up in determining a destination, I was forgetting to enjoy the journey. While on vacation, in finishing a book I have been struggling to complete since January, I stumbled upon the prayer below from Thomas Merton in the closing pages:

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

This prayer changed my thinking and reminded me I don’t need to know what lies or even have an idea of where I’m going. I simply needed to rest in the moment and satisfaction of my desire to please my Father and His full knowledge of my desire and willingness to lead me. It brought me to a point of consciously reminding myself to live and experience whatever moment I find myself in. I can remember very vividly afternoons spent in the ocean with my family thinking, “Nothing matters right now except the fact I am here with them and we are together. What’s for dinner is not important. The drive home in a few days does not matter. What may be happening at work right now is not important. I am here with my family getting battered by waves in the ocean, having water gun fights in the pool, and we are having the time of our lives.” After reading that prayer, making it my own, and making a mental decision to enjoy the moment, I can say this was quite honestly the best vacation we may have possibly ever had.

There’s one final distraction I want to discuss, but, due to the nature of the distraction and how it relates to the churchboy, I will hold it for my next post.

Until then, I leave you with the following reminders:

Regarding Regret: In the Broadway musical Rent, composer Jonathan Larson urges us, “Forget regret, or life is yours to miss,”

Regarding What’s to Come: In Switchfoot’s opening track of their Native Tongue album, we are implored to Let It Happen:

Let it happen, let it happen

Tomorrow knows what tomorrow knows

You can’t make it get here sooner

Let it happen, let it happen

I don’t hold what the future holds

But I know you’re my future

Rocky

More posts in the Enjoying the Moment series:

  • Enjoy the Moment
  • What it Means to Enjoy the Moment
  • The Distraction of Expectations
  • Letting Go to Enjoy the Moment

Rate this:

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Blogger
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Acceptance, christian living, Community, Jesus follower, Love of God | Tagged christian living, distractions, enjoyment, Love of God, questions | 4 Comments

4 Responses

  1. on September 5, 2019 at 9:23 PM Letting Go to Enjoy the Moment | Done with Religion

    […] Distractions: Why We Don’t Enjoy the Moment […]

    LikeLike


  2. on August 24, 2019 at 4:03 PM The Distraction of Expectations | Done with Religion

    […] wakes up to Truth as the scales of expectations begin to fall slowly from his eyes.  In my previous post, I discussed how both the prodigal son and his older brother fell victim to the distraction of […]

    LikeLike


  3. on August 19, 2019 at 8:12 PM Enjoy the Moment | Done with Religion

    […] Distractions: Why We Don’t Enjoy the Moment […]

    LikeLike


  4. on August 19, 2019 at 8:09 PM What it Means to Enjoy the Moment | Done with Religion

    […] Distractions: Why We Don’t Enjoy the Moment […]

    LikeLike



Comments are closed.

  • Unchurching – TED Talk

    https://youtu.be/FEkFgCFSKMg
  • Email Us

    Send email to Done with Religion
  • Revolution Church – Podcast

    Listen to Done with Religion writer Rocky Glenn as he talks with Jay and Caleb from Revolution Church

    Meet Your Congregation: Rocky Glenn

  • RIP Medical Debt

    RIP Medical Debt empowers donors to forgive billions in oppressive medical debt. We are dedicated to removing the burden of medical debt for individuals and families and veterans across America. Click HERE to donate now.

  • Mike Adams is a former pastor in the institutional church who has left that environment for a more authentic expression of the Christian faith outside those four walls.

    http://unsunday.libsyn.com/

    Featuring Jim Gordon and Rocky Glenn

    http://unsunday.libsyn.com/leaving-religion-finding-ekklesia-a-conversation-with-rocky-glenn-and-jim-gordon

     

  • Search Articles

  • Subscribe in a reader
  • If you need help click here
    or call the number below

  • Follow Done with Religion on WordPress.com
  • Podcast with Jim Gordon of Done with Religion

    Done with Religion? Unity and living outside institutional religion (featuring Jim Gordon)

  • Recent Posts

    • Divisions in the Body of Christ
    • What Reforms Are Necessary In Christianity?
    • So Many Different Voices
    • Gays, Women, Hell, Non-Christians – What Does God Really Think?
    • Treat Everyone Respectfully
  • Need Help? Click Here
    or call the number listed below

  • Follow us on Twitter

    My Tweets
  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 3,147 other followers

  • Like Us on Facebook

    Like Us on Facebook
  • Support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

    Click Here to Make a Donation to St Jude Hospital

  • Archives

    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • February 2011
    • May 2010
  • Wishes are more than just a nice thing A wish experience can be a game-changer for a child with a life-threatening medical condition. This one belief guides us in everything we do at Make-A-Wish®. It inspires us to grant wishes that change the lives of the kids we serve. It compels us to be creative in exceeding the expectations of every wish kid. It drives us to make our donated resources go as far as possible. Most of all, it’s the founding principle of our vision to grant the wish of every eligible child. Whatever the odds, whatever the obstacles wishes find a way to make the world better. We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. To make a donation click here:

  • If you are in crisis and need support call the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386

  • Some of the Blogs We Follow

  • Varioius Posts We Like

  • Follow Us On Instagram

    Divisions in the Body of Christ https://donewithreligion.com/2021/04/14/divisions-in-the-body-of-christ-2/
    So Many Different Voices https://donewithreligion.com/2021/04/07/so-many-different-voices/
    Treat Everyone Respectfully https://donewithreligion.com/2021/03/31/treat-everyone-respectfully/
  • View Other Pages of Our Site

    Guest Bloggers
    https://donewithreligion.com/guest-bloggers/

    Podcasts
    https://donewithreligion.com/podcasts/

  • Doctors Without Borders help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care. Help support Doctors Without Borders by making a donation here:

  • Done with Religion on Bloglovin

    Follow our blog with Bloglovin

  • Blog Stats

    • 123,189 hits

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Writer Dylan Morrison

Fascinated by the Nazarene but unimpressed by religion!

Living With Hope

The Knowable Mystery

Follow Your Arrow

Unashamed of who God made us to be, and unapologetic in our pursuit of God and our purpose in His kingdom

Blind Injustice

Injustices we may not be aware of

Sophia's Essays

This is where I post my essays, primarily about LGBTQ+ issues, politics, and Christian theology.

My Journey

Welcome. My blog is a place where readers will find writings of personal experiences, thoughts, and the peace that the Lord provides throughout my walk. I intend to bring inspiration and insight, as well as providing a very personal and transparent view into my life, in order to help others see their own lives in a different perspective. I strongly believe that we all need a different view at times, in order for our own personal growth to take place.

Hazy Divinity

Welcome To The Party

Wet Feet Ministry

Candice Czubernat

A leading voice in the LGBTQ and Christian dialogue

Our Journeys Matter! - Posts

Done with Religion ... Not Done with God

Ally's Notebook

Thoughts To Share

The Grace Cafe Blog

Life of a Prodigal

Searching for Truth outside the church walls

What God May Really Be Like - Misbeliefs About God

To those done with religion but not God and my kids (Click FOLLOW for future Posts; See ABOUT/USING THIS SITE tab to navigate Site)

carolsimmons

Christy Lynne Wood

Looking for the Real God

Confessions of a Recovering Churchboy

What I bought before, I just can't sell

Rogue Millennials

To the Saints Radio

Intermission

Reflections in the midst of life.

Crista Crawford, Christian Author and Speaker

She Seeks Nonfiction

A Skeptic's Quest for Science, Wonder, & Books

The Wild Frontier

The search for infinite Truth and the invincible Love of an incredible God.

Finally Megan

A Wilderness Voice

"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, says the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, says the LORD of hosts." (Hag 2:9)

What do People Understand by the Word God?

with an 85 year old Questioner

Entering the Promised Land

by walking in the Spirit

TruthForFree.com

New Covenant Grace

Beyond Church Walls

Done with Religion ... Not Done with God

Mick Mooney

Escape to Reality

Exploring the wide open spaces of God's amazing grace

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    <span>%d</span> bloggers like this: