Distractions.

In what way can man be distracted from his purpose? In what way can man be drifting in the desert, seeking to find a well of water that will give him life? Man, after all, is a simple creature. He is easy to please. He is easy to dissuade. He is easy to persuade. Indeed, how can man be distracted from his purpose?

He sat on the chair that was positioned by the corner in his room as the thought came to his mind. He has had the feeling that he understands his purpose. His purpose was made clear to him when he was a young man. The reason of his being was never in question. However, inasmuch as he knew the reason of his being, he still found himself sometimes drifting from his purpose.

What caused these drifts? To find some answers to this question, he took his Bible and opened the book of Matthew. More accurately, Matthew 4:1 – 11. One thing that he had always overlooked was the fact that the Tempter only came to tempt Jesus after he had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. So, it is safe to assume that for 40 days and 40 nights, Christ was coming to terms with the purpose that he had to fulfil on Earth. It would suggest that Christ knew His purpose. The 40 nights and 40 days were to find confidence in Himself, fulfilling His purpose.

Like himself, he knew his purpose. And he had endured an emulated fasting that prepared him for his purpose. And so, it makes sense why then the distractions he was facing were occurring after his understanding of his purpose.

The first test that Tempter presented to Christ was food. The Tempter tells Jesus that if indeed He is the Son of Man, he can therefore turn the stones into food so He can eat. The temptation that Christ faced was that of immediate needs.

He was not hungry. But he realised he was hungry for something else. He was hungry for the warmth of a woman. And if he were a man, he would not struggle to get a woman. This may seem like a harmless vice. This may seem like a basic need that needs to be fulfilled. And rightfully so, it is a need that needs to be fulfilled. However, this need becomes a distraction if it is an empty well that can never be filled.

He realised how distracted he was by this need. His phone was filled with images and videos of women he desired. His social media apps were all saturated with images and videos of women he desired. It never occurred to him how seeing so many beautiful women all at once was overwhelming his mind. The male brain was never created to be overwhelmed with so much beauty from women.

This distorted his perceptions, his beliefs and his understanding of women. It created a weird and perplexing paradigm that the women he finds beautiful are in abundance. And so, he would not have to invest in the forgotten art of romance to win them over. Oh no. He saw how a few of these beautiful women were swayed by men with fame, or men with money, or men with fame and money. And so, he believed that he had to attain fame, or money or fame and money to win these women over. Not realising that this is a test, a distraction from his purpose.

His purpose has nothing to do with fame, or money or fame and money. With this in mind, he understood the second test that the Tempter presented to Christ.

The Tempter said to Christ to fall, and surely the angels will save Him. Highlighting how Christ has been given command over the angels. Fame, money, fame and money, the way he was perceiving it lately, was that which satisfied the ego. It was the fame we see with B-list celebrities desperate to be seen in the limelight. It was the fame we see with the forgotten legends who still believe they are relevant in the modern world. It was egocentric fame. A fragile fame that bore no fruit.

Tied together with how he was perceiving money. It had the same egocentric attitude as well. The way he was seeing money, he was seeing it as a tool to attract women. He saw how the old, poorly dressed and out-of-shape blessers were spending their money to attract the most beautiful women in clubs. That was how he was seeing money. He wasn’t seeing it as a vehicle for change. No, because he was lost in the beauty of infinite online slay queens, he was starting to see money the way the blesser saw money: a ticket to taste their beauty.

And lastly, the Tempter tested Christ by taking him to the highest mountain and said that all the kingdoms will be His to rule, but only He bows to him. The Tempter was basically asking Jesus for His soul in exchange for all the power in the world.

He thought about this for a minute. He realised that he was so distracted by the bountiful, beautiful women he saw on his phone that he believed he had to attain fame and money to taste the hidden nectar of these women. But you see, the way he was perceiving this desire, he was willing to obtain fame or money or fame and money in a way that satisfies his ego, because that’s how the old, poorly dressed and out-of-shape blessers were able to taste the hidden nectar of these beautiful women.

And it was then he realised that he was selling his soul to an ideal that was not his. He was young. He was not a fashionista, but he was definitely not poorly dressed. And even though he did not have the Mr Olympia physique, he was definitely not out of shape either. He never deserved fame, money, fame and money to serve his ego. Fame to him was a tool he could use to reach more people to spread his message as a writer. Money to him was a tool he could use to better the lives of those around him. Fame and money to him were tools to accelerate him towards his purpose faster.

He realised right there and then how he was distracted from his purpose. He realised right there and then how he was drifting away from his purpose. Indeed, he was a simple man, but he was a simple man with a clear purpose.

He thanked the Lord for the lesson. He took his phone and deleted the images and videos of the beautiful on his phone. He deleted all the social media apps that polluted his mind. He thanked the Lord once more for the lesson. He closed the Bible and began working on his purpose once again.