Proverbs 4:25 NIV Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
Philippians 2:4 NIV Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
What is the cost of our inattention? What happens when over time our listening is distracted?
She was 11. Your daughter started telling you about her day. You glanced at your phone … just checking one text. She stopped mid-sentence. “Never mind,” she said. “It’s not important.” You barely noticed. She walked away.
That small moment mattered more than you knew. That’s when your daughter learned her words had to compete with your screen … and her words were losing. She learned she was interruptible. Less urgent than a notification. Now she’s 16 and she won’t talk to you. You wonder when you lost her. It happened gradually, in dozens of small moments like that one.
This is not just about parenting. Your wife edits her stories when she sees your eyes on the TV. Your friend notices you time-check and decides to call someone else next time.
Jesus looked people in the eyes. He stopped for them. He made them feel like the most important person in the world. When was the last time someone felt that way talking to you?
We give our best attention to what we value most. Your screen gets focus. Work gets undivided attention. But the people in your life? They often get crumbs.
48 Hour CHALLENGE: When anyone speaks to you, turn your WHOLE body toward them. Put your phone face down. Make warm eye contact. Smile. Notice how it changes everything.
Prayer: Father, forgive me for the moments I looked away. Break my addiction to distraction. When someone speaks to me, help me put everything else down, focus and really listen. Amen.
