I don't know if you have seen the movie "Up" or not, but there is a character in that movie that hits a little too close to home.  In the movie, and I don't want to give it away if you haven't seen it, there is a little dog who has one of those cones around its head.  He also has a collar on that makes it possible for him to communicate with humans. Anyway, he is a dog that is seemingly full of endless energy.  Others would call him hyper.

At one point in the movie, the dog is running along with a boy, and says that folks often say he is hyper and easily distracted.  While he is running and saying this, he quickly jerks his head to the left and says..."oooh, look.. a squirrel."  If you have seen the movie, and that dog, you have seen me.  So many times I am easily distracted in a conversation, thought, or action by something around me.  I am not diagnosable as ADD or ADHD, but I do have strong tendencies that way. 

As I have said, I was going to chronicle my training and running, the past week has been one of distractions as far as the training goes.  Now understand, the distractions are normal things in life, but I have allowed them to cut in on my training.  It reminds me of what the Apostle Paul asked the Galatian church in Galatians 3:1, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?  Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified," and in Galatians 3:3, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (NIV) 

I know many things are important and necessary in our lives.  While I am talking about physical training, Paul here asks the Galatian church, in my own paraphrase, "Who has distracted you?  Who has cut in on you and made you try to earn grace by your own efforts?"  Let us never forget that God's grace can never be earned or deserved.  No matter what distractions of this culture may present themselves, we cannot ever attain salvation or God's love by our own merits.  We could never do anything that would make God love us more than He loves us right at this very moment.

So when the distractions of this life crowd in on us.  Keep on marching to God's drumbeat, and do not let them affect your relationship with Him.  Stay focused on Jesus.

....Ooohh look, a squirrel.....