Distraction and Busyness

Most of the time nowadays we don't see direct physical attacks from Satan like there seems to be in the Bible. I began to wonder why, as I was driving down the street listening to my iPod. I got home, turned on the TV, looked at the bills, answered some emails, and then it was time to take the kids to practice. I thought; "If we aren't seeing a large amount of direct attacks from Satan, then why does it seem like so many Christians seem so ineffectual, unsatisfied and bored?" As I drove out of my driveway, I saw that the lawn needed to be mowed and fertilized. Then I received a call on my cell phone. After I answered that, I continued my train of thought: "Where is the purpose in Christianity? Where is the joy? Where is the peace?" My thoughts were interrupted by a loud beep and a light on my dashboard telling me that I was out of gas.

After filling up and commiserating the amount of money that it took, it was time to pick up the kids. As I drove to get them, out of breath and stressed by the busyness of the day, a strange thought occurred to me: "What if attacks from Satan are just as virulent as ever, but have just changed form? What if all he needs to do is keep us overwhelmed with busyness and distracted by everything around us? What if Satan's plan is not to attack Christians directly, but to make them ineffectual, stressed out and unable to keep up with everyday life, let alone fulfill the call that God has on their lives?"