“Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.” (Philippians 4:8 TPT)
Our local utility company offers energy inspections for homes. They send a technician to walk through the house and inspect it for leaky windows, gaps in door frames, and insulation deficiencies. Fixing these issues can conserve energy as well as save the homeowner hundreds of dollars a year in electric bills.
Deep attentiveness is a rare phenomenon these days. Distraction has become the default setting. Retraining our brains to focus takes effort, time, and discomfort. First, we must understand the value of stillness over busyness. Then, we need to audit our lives for self-sabotaging behaviors that dissipate our energy. We might be oblivious to our ingrained habits, so an outside perspective might be helpful.
While deep thinking can be uncomfortable, distraction can be a release from the agitation that smolders under intensity. This is why most of us prefer diversion over concentration. It is the easier choice. Fragmented attention allows us to compartmentalize and compromise.
It will take some discipline to plug up the leaky habits and insulate our minds. We might have to pull back from our usual ways of doing things and create uninterrupted containers of time for focused work. We will have to think deeply about our values and priorities. Keeping our thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind requires intentional practice.
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