FINDING PURPOSE IN A WORLD OF ENDLESS DISTRACTIONS
Pay attention to the distractions that are stealing your attention, and I bet you’ll count five to ten in just a few minutes: email notifications, text messages, a news alert, a calendar reminder, social media updates, a song playing, a person talking, your phone buzzing, watch vibrating, and laptop dinging.
We don't have enough time in the day to do everything pulling for our attention.
We can't respond to every email immediately. We can't attend every meeting, scroll through every social media post, pursue every opportunity, say yes to every request.
THE TYRANNY OF THE URGENT
This isn't a new problem, but it's gotten exponentially worse. We live in a world where everything feels urgent, every notification demands immediate attention, and every open loop in our minds competes for space.
The result? We end up exhausted, scattered, and wondering why we feel so busy yet so unproductive. We're constantly moving but rarely advancing toward anything meaningful.
The apostle Paul understood this tension. In his letter to the Ephesians, he wrote: "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16).
Paul wasn't talking about time management tips. He was talking about purpose. He was saying that in a world full of distractions and competing demands, we must be intentional about how we spend our time, because how we spend our time is how we spend our lives.
WHAT WE’RE REALLY RUNNING FROM
It may be worth asking: Why are we so drawn to these distractions in the first place?
What if our constant need for stimulation reveals something deeper—a spiritual restlessness that no amount of productivity can satisfy? Every buzz, every notification, every urgent task offers us a momentary escape from a more uncomfortable reality: the silence where we might actually encounter God.
I wonder if we fill every quiet moment with noise because we're afraid of what we might find—or who we might meet—in the stillness. The 17th-century philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote that "all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." He understood that our external distractions often mask an internal emptiness that only God can fill.
Perhaps we've traded the discomfort of divine encounter for the comfort of digital distraction.
THE JAR, THE ROCKS, AND YOUR LIFE
A professor presents his students with a bucket, some large rocks, a bunch of small pebbles, and some sand. He asks a student to come put the rocks, pebbles, and sand into the bucket. The student pours in the sand, then the pebbles, and discovers that the large rocks just won’t fit. The professor then repeats the exercise, but this time starting with the large rocks, then the pebbles, and finally pouring in the sand. Everything fits nicely.
The professor explains, “The bucket represents your life. The rocks are the most important things, the pebbles are less important things, and the sand is everything else. If you put the sand in first, there's no room for the rocks and pebbles. But if you put the rocks in first, everything else can fit around them.”
YOUR PURPOSE STATEMENT
Jesus modeled this. He didn't heal every sick person in Palestine. He didn't visit every town. He didn't accept every invitation. Instead, He said: "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent" (Luke 4:43).
What are your rocks? What is most important, your primary purpose?
A framework I use: My primary purpose is to know Christ and bring God glory by _______________________________."
The first part is essential. We were created to know Jesus and glorify God. If we’re missing that, we’re missing it. Knowing Christ and bringing glory to God are the essential rocks that go in the bucket first – for everyone.
The second part gets more personal and specific. I’ve found it helpful to fill in the blank by considering my season of life and primary relationships. Currently, I would complete the sentence this way: “by loving my family, pastoring Anthem Church, and making a kingdom difference.” That is not how I would fill in the blank twenty years ago, and it may not be in twenty years, but it is in this season.
That simple purpose statement has become my filter for everything. Speaking opportunities? Writing projects? Ministry invitations? I run them through this filter: Does this help me know Christ? Glorify God? Love my family better? Pastor Anthem Church more effectively? If not, it's probably not for me right now.
What about you? If you're a college student, your purpose might be: "...by excelling in my studies and building meaningful friendships." If you're a new parent, it might be: "...by nurturing my children and supporting my spouse." If you're in a career transition, it might be: "...by faithfully stewarding this season of uncertainty while seeking God's next assignment."
WHEN GOD REWRITES YOUR PURPOSE
I love the clarity a purpose statement provides, but I also want to hold it with a loose grip, recognizing that God may ask me to surrender the rocks I’ve identified.
Jesus told His followers, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).
Sometimes God's purpose for us involves letting go of our carefully planned priorities for something we never would have chosen. The missionary who planned to serve overseas but is called back to care for aging parents. The executive who felt called to business leadership but is asked to step into vocational ministry. The parent whose child's special needs reshape everything.
Our rocks are important, but they're not ultimate. God is. And we give Him permission to arrange, or rearrange, our buckets in ways that look nothing like what we planned, trusting that His version of our life will be more beautiful than anything we could have designed ourselves.
This doesn't negate the importance of intentional living—it transforms it. We pursue clarity about our calling while remaining surrendered to the One who calls.
MAKING IT PERSONAL
So let me ask you some important questions:
What season are you in right now? Are you single or married? Do you have young children or teenagers? Are you launching a career or nearing retirement? Are you in a season of plenty or struggle?
What relationships are central in your life? Who has God placed in your immediate sphere of influence? Your spouse? Your children? Your coworkers? Your neighbors? Your small group?
What does that say about your primary purpose right now? If someone looked at your calendar and your bank account, would they be able to identify your rocks?
PRACTICAL STEPS TO FIND YOUR FOCUS
Write your purpose statement. Complete this sentence: "My primary purpose is to know Christ and bring God glory by ________________________.” Fill in the blank. Be specific to your current season and relationships.
Identify your big rocks. What are the 3-5 most important priorities in your life right now? These should align directly with your purpose statement.
Audit your calendar. Take a look at how you actually spend your time. Does it reflect your stated priorities? What needs to change?
Create boundaries. Practice saying, "That sounds like a wonderful opportunity, but it doesn't align with my priorities right now."
Review regularly. Your rocks may change as your season changes. Review your purpose statement at least once a year to check if you are drifting.
A PROMISE FOR THE FOCUSED LIFE
Here's what I've discovered: When you put your rocks in first, are clear about your purpose, and align your time with your priorities, something beautiful happens. You experience what Jesus called the "easy yoke." You still work hard, but you work with purpose. You still face challenges, but you face them with clarity. You still make sacrifices, but you make them intentionally.
And when God rewrites your script—when He asks you to rearrange your rocks or even trade them for ones you never wanted—you can trust that His authorship of your life is better than your own.
Living with purpose doesn't eliminate all distractions, but it gives you the wisdom to know which ones to ignore. And more importantly, it creates space for the kind of silence where God can speak.
In a world of endless distractions, the most radical thing you can do is live with intentional focus on what matters most—while holding that focus with hands open enough for God to reshape it.
All for Jesus,
Brad D. Jenkins
P.S. — If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters or to sign up so that you don’t miss future posts, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog.