The Delightful Danger of Distraction

By David Duncan

When I was a boy, I spent two weeks every summer on my grandparents southwest Oklahoma farm. It was 160 acres of cotton fields, mesquite trees and sand. There was also a large garden, a tree house and a coop full of chickens.

A favorite night time activity of my cousins and mine was to collect June bugs to feed those chickens. Here’s how it worked:

• Turn on the porch light.

• Wait for the June bugs to get stuck on the window screens.

• Grab them and put them in a jar until the next morning.

Now, to a chicken, a live June bug is like ice cream on the 4th of July to you and me. My grandmother’s hens were used to eating scraps from the table and scratching at the ground for whatever else. So when we started dropping juicy bugs the GIRLS went WILD–losing their natural wariness.

Cue mischievous little boy.

I enjoyed sneaking up behind a preoccupied hen and giving her the boot. That’s right, I gave the girl a gentle kick with the side of my foot, sending her flapping with a “BA-BAAK!”

Oh what fun!

Until grandmother caught me.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows you need them. (Matthew 6:31-32 NIV)

Have you ever become preoccupied with the stresses of life and not trusted God like you should? Me too. Sometimes I get distracted by the ‘June bugs’, and don’t see the devil sneaking up from behind.

I realize comparing our unwanted worries to the chickens’ delicious June bugs is a weak analogy. Or is it? Spinning my worry wheels (and getting nowhere) is like eating whipped cream straight out of the can, compared to waiting on God to feed me. But Jesus says go to the Father first.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

*No live chickens were harmed while writing this memory.

David Duncan is an elementary music teacher in Oklahoma. He has a bachelor’s degree in music from Cameron University, and a master’s degree in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a second master’s in educational leadership. David is an ordained Southern Baptist minister. He was a full-time minister for 14 years before becoming a teacher in 2004. He enjoys writing music. In addition to his 39 self-published songs, he also has written hundreds of blog posts found at David’s Daily Dose. You may find his music videos on YouTube.

Feature Photo by Souvik Pradhan on Pexels.com