We live in a world full of distractions. Technology is always with us, pulling our focus away from the present with notifications that ping at all hours of the day and night. On top of that, many of us deal with internal distractions like insecurity, the desire for perfection, or the stress of trying to do it all.
These distractions can often crowd out the still, small voice of God—if we let them. My friend, Peg Arnold, understands the struggle of grappling with distractions well. She is an author, speaker, and teacher whose passion is to encourage women to understand their true value and purpose so they can utilize their gifts in everyday life.
One of Peg’s recent books, Devotions for the Distracted Heart, helps those of us who tend to be distracted find focus on God and His Word so that we can stand strong in the winds of life. Peg also helps us understand that delays and detours are not always a bad thing—in fact, they can sometimes be blessings.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Practical tips for dealing with distractions
- The power of reframing our schedules
- How God might use detours to strengthen our faith
- And more!
This conversation was a delight—it’s full of helpful tips we can use to shift our perspective. Enjoy!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Connect with Peg on her website, Instagram, or Facebook
- [BOOK] Devotions for the Distracted Heart
- Speak Up Conference
- [BOOK] Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives
- [BOOK] The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
- [BOOK] Real Moms…Real Jesus: Meet the Friend Who Understands
- [BOOK] Making Your Message Memorable: Creative Ideas for Captivating Presentations
- As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks.
My Key Takeaways:
1) Distractions can often feel like major setbacks. When we live life without margin (or very little margin), we may start to feel like every small delay or distraction throws off our entire day. If you’ve been feeling like you are one red light away from losing it, that is a sign that you need to create some margin in your life. This could involve cutting down on the number of social activities you have, ensuring you have time in your day to breathe and relax, or allowing for an extra 10 minutes to arrive at your destination.
2) Find joy in the journey. Not every delay is negative. There are times when God is drawing our attention to the world around us. Take the time to look for opportunities in the delays and detours. As the saying goes—stop and smell the roses! This reframing will help us embrace the joys along the way on the journey rather than having tunnel vision on the destination.
3) Consider whether you are prioritizing tasks or people. There is a never-ending to-do list that likely lives on your refrigerator or family calendar. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s only natural that we focus on accomplishing everything that needs to be done to keep our family cared for and our life on track. However, we need to shift our perception to value people over getting things done. When we do this, we are reframing things in such a way that God and the wonderful people He has put in our lives are at the center of our priorities.
About Peg:
Peg Arnold is a wife, mom, grandma, speaker, and counselor who shares her joys and challenges of balancing the demands of her roles. Her fresh approach weaves Scripture together with personal witness and teachings intended to encourage women to discover and embrace their intrinsic value. Peg lives in Colorado with her husband and enjoys being “Nana” to eight grandchildren.
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