Lisa Notes: The cost of paying attention

The cost of paying attention

My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding.
Proverbs 5:1

Sometimes I struggle to pay attention.

Maybe it’s halfway through a sermon when I realize I’m no longer listening.

Or listening to a book on tape when I suddenly have no idea what’s been happening.

Or I’m trying to concentrate on a chapter in a book but Cam Newton is throwing for the Panthers on TV and I’m watching the clock to see when we need to leave for Life Talk and my stomach is really growling and ….

I want to pay better attention.
But paying = costs.
I have to give up one thing to get another.

This year I’ve dubbed as Depend and Delight. I’m depending more on the Lord, worrying less. Delighting more in his grace, less on my works.

Both keep requiring my attention.

What price am I willing to pay?

This month “suffering” keeps coming up in my Depend studies. And likewise in Delight. (I’ve found them supernaturally connected throughout the year in ways I’d never consider.)

When I learn to expect suffering (it always shows up one way or another), I can also learn to expect grace to accompany it. It’s the way God works.

And I’ll always be better off afterwards. Really, God? Really. Being sifted through suffering can strengthen faith. It teaches us to rely more on God. And to look more for his grace.

If I’ll pay the price of suffering, I’ll receive the reward of faith.
If I’ll pay the price of being attentive, I’ll see amazing gifts of grace.
If I’ll pay the price of dying to self, I’ll gain the life of Christ in me.

I resolve to keep paying attention.
It’s worth the cost to accept the grace.

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Dianna · 699 weeks ago

What a precious post, Lisa. Your honesty in admitting that you at times struggle to pay attention makes it easy for me to also admit my own short fall in this same area.

I can attest that suffering is always accompanied by grace...and yes, because that is the way God works. In fact, His grace is so sweet in suffering that I often do not even think of the "suffering".

Love you and appreciate you, Friend.

3 replies · active 699 weeks ago

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

You are very spiritually mature, Dianna, to be able to say this: “I can attest that suffering is always accompanied by grace.” That’s where I want to be. Perhaps I’m there in my head at times, but my heart still holds on to occasional doubts of “what if…” Thanks for your consistent testimony to God’s goodness. Your experiences help me grow in faith.

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Anne Lang Bundy · 699 weeks ago

All day, I haven't been able to get these thoughts off my mind. Is it right to expect suffering? Shouldn't the glass-half-full optimist look for only blessing?

But I am forced to accept the fact that although we have been freed from sin's penalty, and are increasingly being set free from its power, we will not be set free from its presence in this lifetime. We therefore must expect the suffering which always accompanies sin.

And.

Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. Grace is cause for joy. So my conclusion is that yes, I must expect suffering—and also expect grace and joy to abound far more than suffering.

My thanks to Dianna and Lisa for everything shared here. I think this is a milestone for me. Truly. : )

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

…“set free from sin’s penalty, but not its presence in this lifetime.” You’ve summed that up well, Anne. We still suffer because of our own sins and others’ sins because we live in a fallen world.

And we also suffer by choice when we voluntarily put self to death each day. I don’t know if that ever gets less painful in this life (I hope so), but it is still painful to me.

But the suffering is outranked by the grace and the blessings. Again quoting you: “expect grace and joy to abound far more than suffering.” Amen! Your thoughts are helping me continue to shape mine as well, so thank you!

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Anne Lang Bundy · 699 weeks ago

Expect suffering!? Wow. I think God's been leading me to that point, but your words really drove it home. It's a huge concept, and I think it can profoundly change the ability to have joy amid suffering.

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

My heart hasn’t quite caught up to my brain yet on anticipating that there will always be joy in suffering, but I’m working on it. Even though I have experienced it many times in the past, I still find it hard to look ahead to pain with joy. I hope to arrive one day…

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Anne Lang Bundy · 699 weeks ago

As you see from my comment above, I finally worked through that suffering + Jesus = joy equation. ♥ to you Lisa!

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

I like your math. :-)

Blessings to you, Anne!

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flowingfaith 23p · 699 weeks ago

Depend & Delight! YES! Love it! (Sounds like a great book title!) I can easily believe that they are supernaturally connected. Looking forward to reading more about this! BLESSINGS!
My recent post Shutting Up the Inner Pharisee

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

It does sound like a book title, now that you mention it. ha. My husband always tells me I should write a book, but I always tell him I don’t have enough to say yet. So I just keep blogging every day instead. ;-)

It’s been an interesting journey to see all the connections between letting go of worries and fears with delighting more in the Lord. I have specific books I’m reading for each topic, but even in them, I find considerable overlap from two subjects that I didn’t expect to overlap. God is good!

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floyd · 699 weeks ago

I'm the same way. I struggle to pay attention. Sometimes I find myself a million miles away. Then I wonder, "How long have I been gone"? Sometimes even when I'm praying. I'll use the sound advice to travel the called road as you are.
My recent post A LIFE SONG

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

Yep. That’s one reason I often say my prayers aloud when I have my quiet time. It helps me to stay focused on what I’m doing and not let my mind wander too far off. But another thing I do when my mind strays is to just stop and write that thing down, then I can move on with my prayer.

I think I’m getting more ADD the older I get! I never used to think I was that way, but my mind sure can flit from one thing to another so easily now.

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katdish · 699 weeks ago

Oh, wow. Paying attention is difficult for me. So many things to distract my ADD mind. But you're right, we must focus on what God draws us to for his glory and our peace.
My recent post Resolve to be bold

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

Are there more distractions these days than in the past? Probably not, but it seems like there are so many beeps and whistles and things that pull me from one task to another so easily. But yes, God still wants our attention most of all to bring him glory. He can make all things possible.

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Cris Ferreira · 699 weeks ago

I am very good at absorbing information. If I pay attention, I can remember most of what was presented, but the problem is that my attention span lasts about 5 to 10 minutes. If the subject isn't interesting or if it seems that there is nothing new, when I realized I'm wondering about all subjects you can think off and I've completely disconnected from whoever's talking.
My solution: back when I was in college, I worked at day and studied at night, so keeping attention while extremely tired was a challenge. I found out that if I'm taking notes, I keep my attention and absorb more information than usual.
So since then I do that. No matter the subject, if it is work related or at the church, I take notes. I might not even use them, but I do it mostly to help me keep my attention. However, if I can't take notes for whatever reason, it is still a challenge...
Lisa, I loved this post, first about the attention issue (as you can see I have a problem with that too), and the part about suffering and grace touched me deeply... God has been talking to me a lot about suffering lately, and your post connected the dots.
Thanks for sharing!
My recent post An important resolution you won’t regret

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

Your approach is one I’d highly recommend too—take notes! I go in and out of the habit of taking notes at church, but I know I pay better attention when I do. I’m trying lately to get back in the habit again. Like you said, even if I never go back and read them, it’s still worth it to take them because I listen better that way.

I’m glad the suffering and grace connection is helpful to you. I am sitting here typing with a heating pad on my back because it is hurting. So I’m trying to apply this to my life right in this moment. :-) I’m thankful for the grace to be at home today so that I CAN sit still with a heating pad or move around as needed. I know his grace goes deeper than that, but at the moment, I am grateful for that.

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tinuviel · 699 weeks ago

Your emphasis on the grace that will accompany suffering helps me. Got suffering? Got grace. Not a bad dessert after eating my spinach. :)
My recent post Sick-Day Gratitude

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

Hope your cold is better today, Christina.

I'm looking for grace in my pain today too. Started really hurting yesterday with my back--I told my husband I shouldn't have written about suffering and grace! ha. Actually it's perfect timing; makes me look harder for Him.

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Hazel Moon · 699 weeks ago

Paying attention does cost us at times. Listening to the voice of God and obeying it when he tells us to do something can cost us time and money and at times relationships. This was an interesting post and I enjoyed it very much.
My recent post Resolution to Think - - Before You Bite!

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

I need to think about it most in how it costs me relationships. Thanks, Hazel, for that extra little punch....

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bekahcubed · 699 weeks ago

"Or listening to a book on tape when I suddenly have no idea what’s been happening." Yup. That'd be me. Basically every time I try listening to an audio book. Thankfully, most of the time, the audio book isn't THAT important. But Lord help me to be attentive to what God would teach me.
My recent post A Weekend Recap

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Lisa notes 103p · 699 weeks ago

I do best when I have the CDs AND the book, so I can flip back to see what I didn't hear. :-)

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barbarah 65p · 699 weeks ago

I do struggle with paying attention, and most of the time it's the really important things I most struggle paying attention to.

Though I know by experience and by study of the Word the benefits of suffering -- I still tend to want to avoid it. I'm thankful He sees when and how much to allow and will give grace when needed. I think I struggle with it in regard to my children even more than myself.
My recent post Book Reviews: By Seaching: My Journey Through Doubt Into Faith and In the Arena