The Peril of Preoccupation

So when he finally got around to talking to the desperate, poor young couple waiting to check in, he was out of options. There were no more rooms. Observing the wife who was clearly pregnant and ready to give birth at any moment, he let them use the only space he could think of, the stables.

The innkeeper was so distracted by the busyness of his life that he failed to see what was most important.

"Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News." (2 Corinthians 4:4)

The world tends to blind our minds to what's most important.

Most often, it does this through keeping us busy and feeling productive or distracting us with surface-level concerns, not what is at the heart of the matter. That is the peril of preoccupation. Our mind is occupied with the wrong things.

Look at your schedule or to-do list at work. Is it prioritized on what drives results? If you don't have one, you have already lost the fight, as you will inevitably gravitate to the squeakiest wheel or the most pleasant activity, neither of which most likely leads to the success you are working towards.

Consider your relationship portfolio. Are you investing daily in those that are most important, including God himself, or do you take them for granted, act like ships passing in the night, and just expect a nice dividend to pay out one day? Good luck with that.

Think about people you have friction with. Are you so busy being focused on the surface-level things that annoy you that you don't actually see the person and connect with the heart? Yeah, me too.

If you aren't careful, the world will distract you with business, pettiness, and convenience so you never actually focus on true productivity, deep relationships, and the glorious light of the Good News. Guard against the peril of preoccupation.

Set aside some room at the inn for the one who wants to dwell with you.