Red Alert!

              Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (I Peter 5:8-9)

          This wasn’t the topic I planned to write about, but now that my Bible platform has suggested it, it is appropriate. The days are getting short, and they’re about to seem shorter. Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour this evening! The holidays are coming up, which means stress and (for some) depression. And with all of that, life goes on, with all its demands.

          Then, there are all of the unnecessary distractions and media overload we face. I seem to have two modes: mono-focus and complete lack of focus, and it feels as though useless information overload is winning the battle. I know that these are things we’ve accepted as part of the demands of life. But the result is over-stimulation.

          The passage above mentions being alert and of sober mind. Whether we are at a moderate level of attention (yellow alert), a high level (red alert) or shut down, the problem is that our sense of awareness may inhibit our alertness toward real dangers. If the claxons are constantly ringing about everything else, we’re less able to notice or respond to other threats. If everything else is a crisis, that niggling sense that there’s something wrong is likely to be kicked to the curb.

          This means that distractedness and stress are weapons used against us, if for no other reason than that they prevent us from paying attention to what is really important or dangerous. My prayer for us is that we will become more alert and sober-minded, and less distracted and overwhelmed by unnecessary crises. May we notice the lion rather than panic over the mouse.