Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Be All There

I did something really stupid the other day. I know…you're shocked.

I stopped at a red light…looked both ways…and proceeded to turn while the light was still red. The only problem was…I made a left turn. (For those who are driving impaired, turning right on red is cool. Left on red…not so cool.) As I drove away from the intersection, it hit me…I just broke the law.

I looked around and didn't see any police cruisers. So unless that intersection has the cameras that capture you doing something illegal, it looks like I got away with it.

But this whole thing still really bugged me. I didn't set out to break the law. I didn't intend to turn left on red…but I did it anyway.

Why?

Because my mind was on other things. I was so deep in thought about everything that I had to do that I allowed myself to become distracted. Thankfully I didn't get a ticket. Even more, I'm thankful that I didn't cause an accident.

This whole thing really reminded me of something. I'm not a good multi-tasker. And by the way…neither are you. I know, you may have convinced others, and even yourself, that you can focus on more than one thing at a time. But here's the truth…you can't.

Sure, you may be able to get by with a divided focus…but do you really want to spend your life just getting by? If you do this consistently, different areas of your life will begin to suffer.

Here is a phrase that I try to remember…wherever you are, be all there.

If I'm at work, I'm all there.

If I'm playing with my kids, I'm all there.

If I'm loving on my wife, I'm all there.

If I'm driving my car, I'm all there.

Obviously, I'm not infallible in this "be all there" principle. My red light story proves that. I need to improve on this. But I'm working on it.

How about you? Are you "all there?" If you're not sure, let me help you out.

If you're at work but you spend hours on Facebook, you're not all there.

If you're at home with your kids but you constantly check your email, you're not all there.

If you're on a date with your spouse and all you talk about is your children, you're not all there.

Not as easy as it sounds, is it? Practical application of this principle takes work…but it's worth it.

Wherever you are, be all there.