It was to be a majestic evening. On Friday, October 18, 1991, the world-class Chicago Symphony presented the final concert in its year-long celebration of the symphony’s one hundredth year. For the first time in United States symphony history, the present conductor and two former conductors of an orchestra stood on the same stage: Rafael Kubelik, Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim. To mark the historic occasion, patrons received souvenir clocks as gifts at a centenary celebration dinner before the concert.
As Daniel Barenboim sat down at the piano and Georg Solti lifted his baton to begin Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, a great sense of drama filled Chicago’s historic Orchestra Hall. And the beauty of the music took over.
A few minutes later, however, at 9:15 pm, the music began to unravel. Out in the auditorium a little beep sounded. Then another, and another. Little beeps were sounding everywhere. Barenboim and the symphony plowed ahead, but everyone was distracted and the music suffered.
Finally, after the first movement ended, Henry Fogel, the symphony’s executive director, walked on stage to explain what had happened. The manufacturer of the souvenir clocks had set the alarms to go off at 9:15.
Everyone had to check their clocks in with an usher. By the time the concert had finally resumed, the momentum of the evening had been thrown off. The valuable timepieces which were meant to accent the event had become distractions which stole the show.
Not all distractions are bad things. Fancy alarm clocks have their place — try waking up on time without one — but it’s not in Orchestra Hall. Distractions are often good things that become problems when we make them the main thing. That’s when their noise drowns out the melody of our lives and the music suffers.
Distractions and the Main Thing
Those who attended the concert had one goal: to enjoy the orchestra’s performance. The other festivities were a bonus. Similarly, followers of Jesus have one goal in life: to honor Him. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Everything else is a bonus:
- Food
- Shelter
- Clothing
- Money
- Transportation
- Family
- Technology
- Social media
- Our hobbies
- Movies
- Games
- Work
- Recognition from others
- Others’ approval
- Romantic relationships
- Marriage and sexual fulfillment
Each of these things have their place in life. They are good things until we allow them to steal our time and attention from things that are more important. A few cases in point: Time on social media can interrupt time with God in prayer or in His Word. We may give our best work to our manager during the week, only to give God our leftover worship (or nothing at all) on Sunday. The pursuit of a romantic relationship can cause us to neglect our relationship with God. Even the well-meaning desire to connect with others and build relationships can turn into self-centeredness and the constant, crippling fear of what others think. It’s easy for good things to become distractions when we make them the main thing.
Reset to Refocus
Like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at their ill-fated concert, sometimes we need an intermission — a mental reset — to get our lives back in tune. I’ve found spending time reading God’s Word, specifically the Psalms, is a great way to do this. This practice helps me apply truth to my feelings and circumstances so I prioritize what matters most. With a fresh perspective of my priorities, I can better identify my distractions and refocus. . . .
And sometimes even distractions help me refocus when I feel overwhelmed. When the to-do list at work becomes overwhelming and everything seems important and competes for my attention, I may spend a few minutes looking out the window or take a moment to pray for wisdom. Sometimes I step away from my desk and take a walk. This brief reset allows me to clear my mind, break my to-do list into manageable chunks and refocus on the most important tasks. (It also reminds me the rest of my work will be waiting for me the next day – no need to do it all today.)
Do you want your life to sing again? Be intentional about how you handle your distractions and remember what is most important. This could be the difference between your biggest encore and another mediocre melody.
Article by Cam Edwards
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