Overcoming Distraction and Staying Focused With the Help of Our Lady

One summer, I took a trip to Massachusetts to stay with some missionaries and visit the Benedictine monks for a retreat. Before the retreat, I stayed with some friends in a cute little town.

One beautiful Saturday morning, I planned to go to the beach alone. Before leaving the house, I carefully looked around so I’d recognize it when I returned. Or so I thought. Then I realized I didn’t have my water bottle, so I decided to head back to the house to get it. Confident I had found the right house—after all, the homes all looked alike—I walked inside. To my surprise, a woman I didn’t recognize stood before me, and her dog began barking wildly.

“What are you doing in my house? Get out!” she shouted.

In total disbelief, I quickly shut the door. I had just walked into a stranger’s home.

As I was leaving, I saw the woman, whose house I’d mistakenly entered, outside on the phone. Being Megan,  I gave her a nervous smile and wave—as if to say, “I’m not a robber, I promise!”—and continued walking.

As I continued on my walk, I met a sweet lady and her grandson. I told her the story too, and she was sympathetic. Not long after, a policeman on a motorcycle pulled up. I remember telling the sweet lady confidently, “He came for me.”

As he crossed the street, I explained what happened, and because I’m here to tell you the story, you can see that I did not have to serve any jail time. Thankfully, he understood and continued on his way, and I continued on my journey to the beach…still in disbelief that this happened to me.

The Door Is Open

Sometimes we wonder why such things occur. Maybe God wanted me to pray for the lady whose house I accidentally entered. Perhaps someone needed a good laugh. It’s also possible that I should reflect on what Jesus meant when He said, “Knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Maybe this was meant for me when I walked into a stranger’s home.

My story teaches an important lesson about being distracted. It’s easy to lose focus on what truly matters when our minds are elsewhere. That day, I was eager to get to the beach and wasn’t focused on finding the right house—I just wasn’t paying attention. I noticed the house and the surroundings, but I forgot to check the address.

When we’re distracted, it’s not that we ignore everything; we just focus on the wrong things. We say things all the time like, “I am so easily distracted,” “Wait, what did you say? I was distracted,” or “I’m so ADD. 

We’ve all been there—hurried and missing the obvious right in front of us. But Mary wasn’t. She recognized the knock and opened the door. She shows us what it looks like to be attentive and ready to respond when God calls.

Mary: The Model of Undivided Attention

May is a month in which we honor Mary, Our Blessed Mother. She truly serves as an example of presence and purity of heart. From the moment she was conceived, Mary was without sin. When the Angel Gabriel appeared to her, she responded, “Let it be done unto me according to your will.” At the Wedding Feast of Cana, Mary says, “Do whatever He tells you. At the cross, she is focused on her Son—and it’s here that she becomes the Mother of the Church. Mary shows us what it means to stay focused on the most important thing in our lives: doing God’s will. She demonstrates what it means to be pure of heart— to seek only Him. 

Mary teaches us how to live with purpose and clarity. Let’s look at some of the distractions we face—and how we might reclaim our focus.

Our Thoughts as a Distraction

I am very much a thinker and a planner. My thoughts tend to be very analytical. What if this happens? I wonder what he or she meant when she said that? Is that a good decision?

Don’t get me wrong—thinking is a very good thing. However, overthinking often gets in the way of recognizing the beauty and goodness of life happening right in front of us. When we stay in our heads, we miss what’s happening all around us. We’re robbed of the present moment—and with it, our peace and joy.

Jesus desires us to live in the present, where He is found. 

Our Sins and Weaknesses as a Distraction

We are all on different parts of our faith journey. Perhaps you may have come from a difficult place and are trying to live differently. However, your past mistakes and sins keep coming up and make you believe you are not worthy of God’s love or mercy.

Perhaps you feel like your mistakes and sins disqualify you from doing anything good. Perhaps you are a perfectionist and tend to hyperfocus on your weaknesses. Because I struggle with this, how can God use me or call me to do something good?

The answer is—He is still calling you.

Once, when I was before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, I had this thought: Jesus looks at us not based upon our faults but our whole selves—and guess what? He delights in you, totally.

The enemy, or the accuser, as he is called, loves to use our weaknesses and sins to distract us from the love of Jesus and the good Jesus wants us to experience in our lives. Don’t fall for it.

If you look at those whom Jesus called in Scripture, they were filled with weaknesses, yet Jesus called them. Jesus Himself was actually ridiculed for being a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

I don’t know about you, but to me, that says Jesus is not afraid of our weaknesses and sins. Rather, He desires to transform us.

Let Him transform you. Don’t use sin or your weaknesses and imperfections as an excuse not to be who God created you to be.

Comparison as a Distraction

We are consistently bombarded by social media. While this gives us the opportunity to connect and share with the world, it also provides an opportunity to compare ourselves and our lives to others.

How many likes did she get on that pic?

How many followers or subscribers do they have?

Where did they vacation?

We are so used to comparing ourselves to others that we miss our very own lives. We look at others’ lives and try to keep up with whatever they’re doing, yet we miss the beauty in our own lives.

Dear friend, Jesus is doing beautiful things with your life. It is not like your friend’s life, but it is still beautiful.

Whenever I compare myself to anyone else, I forget how much Jesus has done for me. I must focus intensely on the goodness of my life, knowing that He knows what I need, and He knows what this person needs—and it’s okay if our needs are different.

The World as a Distraction

If nothing else matters, you must know this: you were made for Heaven.

We all want to go to Heaven. However, we probably don’t stop to think that this is what we were created for. This is why you were created: to know, love, and serve God in this life so you may be happy with Him in the next, as the Baltimore Catechism states.

This is why nothing else satisfies us if we seek to be fulfilled by anything other than God.

Our world needs a lot of healing right now. There is much fear and division. However, I have felt that a lot of things are just distractions from what is really important. At the end of the day, the most important thing is your soul—and getting to Heaven.

Heaven is eternal. This life is fleeting. We must remember this.

Our souls and the souls of others are what matter. It does not matter what color you are, what country you are from, what political party you belong to, or anything else. We are on a journey together, and we must live in such a way that our destination will be Heaven.

So, where do you find yourself being the most distracted? Recognize it, and seek to focus more intensely on Jesus.

Be present in the moment. Receive God’s mercy and love for you. Be grateful for what you have and even for what others have, knowing that God provides what is necessary.

Live in this world knowing that no matter how hard it gets, we must fight hard to be saints and to help other souls—knowing that we have a home in Heaven.

One of the best things to know is that we are not alone. We have help from Heaven. We have a beautiful mother, Mary, who understands our humanity but knows the beauty of divinity.

Just as she was focused intently on doing God’s will, she can help us truly stay focused on the most important thing—Him.

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Megan Yeso is a Catholic wife and mother who resides in South Louisiana. Megan works part-time as a speech-language pathologist but spends most of her time with her precious little one. Megan has written a book entitled “In the Waiting” and co-authored “Fiat 40 Journal: A Women’s 40-Day Journey to Renewal, Restoration, and Redemption.” Megan has also starred on “Seek: The Experience” broadcasted on EWTN and Shalom’s “Family.” She has traveled to different parts of the world for missions and pilgrimages. Megan takes joy in using the gifts God has given her to bring others closer to Him. She believes in the power of doing little ordinary things with great love and recognizing that we give God much glory when we strive to offer our simple lives to Him. Megan aspires greatly to be a saint and to lead others to God. 

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