Deserving attention

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

I will mediate on your commandments
and give my attention to your ways.
Psalm 119:15

As I begin my morning, I feel the tug of the game on my phone. I resist the temptation to play as I know it will lead me into a zone where, before I know it, I will have spent an hour matching three pieces of fruit. As I make my tea, as I begin to journal, as I center myself for prayer, the lure of playing lingers, distracting me.

Of course, the game is perfectly designed to lead me deeper and deeper into a commitment. And capture my complete attention.

And I realize how easily I can undervalue my attention. Yet, where I place it is also where I place my soul. So many voices clamor for my awareness, my consideration, my devotion, and not all of them call me to my best self. I can and need to make choices about where I give my heart.

I center myself again, remembering why I begin my day with prayer. So that I can give my attention and myself to God, who leads me deeper into life and wholeness.