90. The Distraction of a Wandering Mind Says, "Meander with Me"

We continue our journey of highlighting and discussing the various distractions that may come our way on any given day. Today we're peering into the distraction that experts say many of us struggle with: the distraction of a wandering mind. We may call it something else like daydreaming or not staying mentally focused. Or getting sidetracked with our thoughts. But no matter, it's an important distraction to address. In episode 86 we discussed a busy mind. It may sound somewhat similar, but this distraction of a wandering mind is much different.

Do you have a wandering mind?

You may not think you do, and I hope you don't. But I came across an interesting study conducted by two Harvard psychologists who say our human minds are wandering minds. So much so, nearly 47% of our waking hours are spent on thinking about something other than what we're doing in the moment. 47%!

We tend to spend much of our time thinking about other things than what's currently happening around us. We think about events of the past, of what might happen in the future, or about something that may never happen at all. Ever!

Not only that, but it revealed something else. The researchers came to the alarming conclusion that wandering minds are unhappy minds.

So, if our wandering minds are unhappy minds, this tells me our thoughts matter.

What we allow our brains to think matters. (Because we do have a choice in that, by the way.) It also matters how we keep our thoughts centered on what's in front of us and what we're doing in the current moment.

God has much in His Word regarding our thoughts, and I share a few verses that point us in the right direction. I also share a personal memory from years ago that have to do with the words of one of these Bible verses! Yikes!

The distraction of a wandering mind says, "Meander with me." But God says, "I'm right here."

We have no reason to let our minds wander--or meander--if God is with us right here. One Bible verses in particular leads us to the answer of overcoming this distraction of a wandering mind.

Thanks for being here today. God bless you! This life is too important to live it distracted.

Links in this episode:

• Episode 86, The Distraction of a Busy Mind Says, "Think About This"
• James Taylor, Wandering, lyrics
• Harvard study, A Wandering Mind Not a Happy Mind
• Philippians 4:8 NLT
• Isaiah 26:3 NLT
• 1 Peter 1:13 MSG
• Meaning of "Get your head in the game"
• Romans 12:1-2 MSG
• Join our Encouragement for Real Life Community
• Access my Free Resources, designed to encourage your heart!