PAY ATTENTION!
Our entire culture is trying to capture your attention, to make you look at this shiny object, to make you love or fear whatever it is selling at the moment. The prophets of attention are just selling your attention for profits—they are paying to make you pay attention.
Amid the prophets of disaster…
Amid the politics of disgust…
Amid the diviners of distraction…
…the ancient creed of Israel—the Shema— tells us to pay attention to God.
You ARE what—and who—you PAY ATTENTION to.
You become what and who you are looking at.
Taking your cues from them.
Loving what they love.
Hating what they hate.
Fearing what they fear.
It is impossible not to because we are social beings who pay attention to others. Little by little we are constructed by—and conformed to—who we pay attention to.
But God said to Israel,
“I am the one and only one you should pay attention to. Love me, pay attention to me, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Let me and my commands always be at the top of your mind and the tips of your tongues. Let me and my commands be the center of your parenting, your casual and serious conversation, your business and your travel” (Deut. 6:4-9, Holsclaw version).
(For more on neuroscience and faith, read this. Or listen to this, or just download the PDF of “The Brain God Gave Us“)
In a Land of Distractions
These words were given to Israel as they entered the promised land—a land of distractions. They would be distracted away from God by abundance. They would be distracted away from God through other gods who make other promises. They would be distracted away from God through hardship.
And so God says, “Listen!…Love me instead. And you will live.”
What are you paying attention to today?