Noise

I am surrounded by noise.  Everywhere I go.  Every waking moment.  It keeps me distracted, preoccupied.  There is always something demanding my attention.  Many of these attention seekers are good things in and of themselves.  Children.  Work.  Church.  Music.  Small group.  Basketball practice.  Friends.  Many are neutral, but with potential negatives.  TV.  Music.  Movies.  Computer.  Internet.  Reading (depending on what you read). Friends.  My life seems to be dominated by noise.

I am convinced that we need to reduce the noise in our lives.  We need to unplug from the distractions, electronic or otherwise.  Our kids don't really need to play a sport every season, participate in all the plays and concerts, and go to all the birthday parties, do they?  To be more self-critical, do I really need to see the Orange Bowl tonight?  Will anything in my life change if Stanford wins or if Virginia Tech upsets them and I miss it?  Do I really need to see that new movie in the theaters?  What if I forget to set the DVR for "Chuck"?  It is a very diverting TV show that I greatly enjoy, but should I really allow all these diversions in my life?   Maybe I need to be a little less diverted and a little more focused.  One of the great things about our trip to Kenya was that most of these unnecessary distractions were nonexistent.

The trouble with all the noise is that it makes it more difficult to hear the important things.  What does my wife actually need or want from me?  How do my kids need to be led, encouraged, or corrected?  Do I need to sell this house?  If so, do we rent or buy?  More importantly, what is God trying to say to me?  Am I supposed to stay where I am?  Should I regularly take short-term medical mission trips?  Should I go long-term?  Should I go to seminary before a long-term commitment?  May I (and you all) be given ears to hear.