Looking past the "Stuff"

At a board meeting of the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association (NCYAMA) last week, our opening prayer invited us to reflect on the people in our lives who inspire us to be better Christians. For me, there have been, and continue to be, friends and family whose lives I want to emulate with my own. My parents model Christian patience and love. My husband embodies Jesus' generosity toward others. Recently, though, it is my 7 month old son who inspires me to live a more Christian life.

When he's ready to play, I get out some of his toys and set them up around him so he can decide what he wants to play with. I assume that he will go for the toys that light up or play music or do some other "cool" trick. A lot of times, though, I am surprised when he turns around and grabs my hand to chew on, or climbs over my legs. He has all sorts of "things" to play with, but he just wants to hang out with me. This made me stop and think about how often I get distracted by the stuff around me instead of what truly matters--my relationships with others and my relationship with God.

What are the things that are distracting us from seeing and deepening our relationship with God?

~Lauren G