I wish I had a picture for this post.

About this time last week, my mother was not paying attention in church. She had certainly prepared herself well, as the type who does a Bible study before church just to get more from the Bible study in church. Oh yes, she spent significant time praying down her list and getting in tune to hear what God has to say. So there was no reason for her to be distracted. None at all.

Mom found her place in the pews behind a couple who practically demanded her attention. The woman was dressed in a rich, well-chosen scarf and a sophisticated cashmere sweater. She was polished and fashion forward—the type women look at and work to copy. Her technique was refined. Elegant but audacious. And her hair! A perfect compliment to her face. It was modern with an element of sass. Just what my mother loves but would never try herself. It made this woman look so young, so noticeably sharp.

And then the husband, a total contrast to the woman at his side. He tried, he really did. But the man, towering well over 6 feet tall and starting to spread out around the middle with age, just wasn’t as swank as his wife. He wore a blue, long-sleeve dress shirt made out of some silky material that made him shine like my mother’s counter tops. It had the affect of making his shoulders look rounded and his middle more pronounced. To be honest, it wasn’t so bad. But the hair. The hair!

Are you ready for this?

A comb over! Oh yes, that dreaded, ever popular hair style for balding men in denial. It was as if he buffed his skin to shine like the silk of his shirt, but took painstaking efforts to conceal his missing roots. The dome created by the crisp, 5 inch strands of hair was hovering nearly a half inch above his head.

My poor mother and her lack of attention span was trapped.

Is that hair connected on the left or right? Who does he think he’s fooling? It curves over his head like a rainbow. What if I just took a pair of scissors and reach up and snip?

The thoughts went swirling around in the forefront of my mother’s mind as the worship ended and the pastor began to speak. 

Does he know what this looks like from behind? I wonder what he does for a living. He’s wearing boat shoes. He’s probably high up on the corporate chain. Focus! You’re supposed to be listening. But his wife is so put together. Why doesn’t she tell him how horrible it looks? Is this couple really together? What chapter are we reading again? Oh yes. I wish I could wear my hair like that. I would if I had time to go to the beauty parlor. He probably makes a lot of money so she can get her hair done every week. I wonder if she uses a curling iron.

My mother fought, but never got it back. All that preparation, all those prayers, washed away with the wisp of a comb over. The message was long gone before she recovered. How disappointing! How irritating to be so absorbed in how someone else looks instead of what you came for. But when you didn’t get much sleep or you had a busy week or someone spilled spaghetti sauce on the carpet or your hair won’t stay flat or your favorite TV show didn’t air, you’re bound to be thinking of other things. Even with the best intentions.

Thank goodness we are righteous by faith (Phil. 2) and not by our attention!

Want to know a trick I learned when I’m distracted? I draw on the church bulletin. Sometimes it helps just to have something to do with your hands. It cures the restlessness while you’re trying to listen. Some people take notes. I draw. Oh, and color coding! Yes! Try color coding your notes. It makes you focus on the words because you want to get all the green points and the pink points. Sometimes I even like to stand in church. I haven’t lately because I like to sit next to my handsome husband more than I like to stand. But if I was really unfocused, I’d go into the lobby and pace while I listened to the sermon.

I don’t sit behind men with a comb overs either.

What do you do, dear reader? Help me. Help me focus.

We’re going to be distracted. That’s all I’m trying to say.  Shouldn’t we be prepared? All we can do is try again. And find something that works, because we know its worth hearing.