Life is full of distractions. It’s full of things trying to ping us out of the present. Sometimes we welcome these distractions because they ping us out of a difficult situation we’re in. Work wears you out so you seek out distractions like gossip, or the news or social media. Guilt or shame from the past pings us. Worry and fear about the future flashes in our minds like a notification banner. And like any other distraction, the temptation is always the same: to check out of the present moment. Guilt and nostalgia both ping you out of the present and drag you into a past you cannot change. Excessive worrying and planning both ping you out of the present and thrust you into a future you can’t control. And here’s why it’s so important for us to fight these distractions: the present is where life happens. The present is where the joy is. The present is where you can actually make progress, solve problems, do good and love people. One of the tragedies we’re living through as people is being so distracted that we are not fully present in our lives. It’s like that saying John Lennon made even more famous by putting it in a song: ‘life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.’ God heals your past and secures your future so you can find joy in your present.