Undistracted Living
By: Sara Payne, Magnify Missions Coach
Email: sara@magnifymissions.com
Fresh fish tacos at a stand in Ensenada, Mexico.
My husband and I just returned from a four day cruise from Long Beach, California to Enseneda, Mexico and back again. For almost 9 years we’ve talked about getting away during the cold, dreary months of winter and traveling to someplace warm. This year was finally our year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The morning before we left for our cruise, I found myself sitting in the waiting room of the cancer wing at our local hospital. It felt strange to be there with all of these people, who most likely either had cancer or were waiting on a loved one who was receiving treatment. Before my appointment, I had been told that I didn’t have cancer and that it would be a routine procedure. I’d recently discovered I had fibroids and that they were large enough that they needed to be removed with a more extensive surgery. After my appointment I had a surgery scheduled in two weeks time for a full abdominal hysterectomy and the possibility of cancer back on the table. I was overwhelmed and thankful all at the same time - overwhelmed by the reality of how quickly everything was happening, but thankful for God’s provision. With this new knowledge and a surgery already on the calendar, my husband and I took off for our cruise. You would think something like this would have overshadowed the trip, but I took the timing as a gift and affirmation that God was taking care of things. I went on the trip with the intention to not be distracted by this new set of circumstances. I turned my phone on airplane mode and practiced being fully present. I let myself enjoy the time with my husband - eating good food, soaking up the sun, exploring a new place, laughing and just being alive. I had some moments where sadness and fear of the unknown would start to creep in, but overall I made the most of my time. It was exactly what I needed, and I came back home ready to embrace the reality of what we were facing as a family. In the last month, I have been reading Bob Goff’s book, Undistracted. I find myself so very grateful for how God had timed this book in my life. I have a lot to be distracted about in this season, but the Lord very clearly reminded me through this book what I really need to be focused upon. Goff writes, “Just decide right now that you are going to lean into the rich, meaningful, beautiful, oftentimes painful life God has already given you.” So I’m choosing to lean into this journey and this moment and ultimately into Jesus. I want to remove the distractions, and it looks like the Lord is clearing my schedule for me so I can do that.
Being Available
In this week leading up to my surgery, I’ve tried to still be available and connecting with people. I think it would have been easy for me to hole up and just do a bunch of work around the house to get ready. I still had this sense of wanting to connect with people though - to share about God’s faithfulness in this process and to be vulnerable. This idea of being available is one Bob Goff talks about in his book, and it’s become a rule of life for him. In every book he writes, he posts his personal cell phone number and tries to answer any call he gets. A few years ago, Ryan Steuer, my boss, who started Magnify Missions, called Bob up. He wasn’t available that day, so Ryan emailed him. He asked him what he would do to support a missionary who didn’t have a long-term plan. Bob responded that he wouldn’t support a ministry/missionary without a sustainability plan. It was out of Bob Goff’s availability and an email conversation that Magnify Missions came into existence. Ryan decided he would create a workshop that helped missionaries and entrepreneurs come up with a plan that would enable them to not burnout, get fully funded and sustain their work. I find it amazing that a simple habit of just being available resulted in an organization that has now served almost two dozen missionaries and entrepreneurs in building long-lasting, God- honoring ministries and businesses. God can take our simple obedience and turn it into eternal blessing! Recently a friend shared with me that her schedule was so full she only had two nights available in the entire month to be with her family. She was clearly stressed out as she shared that detail, and I thought to myself, “This is avoidable. Why are you filling your time in this way?” In Undistracted, Goff states, “Remember, the delight of darkness is to amplify distraction.” I’ve really come to dislike the word “busy”. I think it’s a word that makes people feel like their lives are full of activity and thus meaningful, but busyness does not equate to purpose. Our lack of availability and our focus on busyness is making us distracted from the good God wants to offer us. In the hurry, we are missing moments and people.
Reflect:
In what ways can you make yourself more available to others?
Who are some people who would benefit from your availability?
Who are some people who have made themselves available to you? What impact has that had on you?
Who are the people you want to prioritize spending time with?
Keeping an Eternal Perspective
The last time I had surgery I was 12 years old. I remember asking the anesthesiologist to tell me when I fell asleep. I also remember waking up nauseous, crying, and being a little bit scared. It’s 31 years later for me, and I’m an adult with a kid of my own, but I am still scared. This is the leg of the race marked out for me at this moment, and my best option is to keep my eyes and hope fixed on Jesus. Hebrews 12: 1-3 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Less than a week after my surgery, we will be celebrating Easter. I couldn’t think of a better time to be walking through this circumstance than in the week we see Jesus preparing to go to the cross. We know he went to the cross, went into the tomb, and came out alive - resurrected! I know this truth is what my hope is in. The one who overcame death will help me overcome this challenge. A friend told me this week, “You’re strong. You’ll come out of the other side of this and you’ll have an awesome testimony to share.” I want that to be the case. I want it to be about God’s glory and what He is doing in this situation. Goff writes, “Because when you and I are laser-focused and clearheaded, I promise we will find our purpose every time. Find your purpose, and you will experience more joy.” Jesus was definitely laser-focused - nothing got in the way of His perspective. He didn’t let the distractions creep in, and he had plenty of them! Instead He kept his eyes on the cross and the end result was our salvation.
Magnify Missions Workshop June 2025 - Cohort 5
Helping people develop a laser focus is much of our goal in Magnify Missions. When people come to a workshop, they are challenged to be fully present, to remove distractions, and to dream. They’re in a beautiful house in a beautiful location, well - fed, and surrounded by fellow believers. In this space we ask them to dream about what God is calling them to - what do they want their families to look like, what do they want their time to look like, what work do they truly want to do, and what legacy are they going to leave behind. We reiterate that time is limited, and you can only accomplish so much. We help our participants develop a focus on what matters most - what their core values are and what gives them purpose and joy. There’s not some vague or generic idea about the future - they are defining what it looks like, feels like, and exactly how they are going to get there. A majority of them express a deep desire for more time and experiences with their families. We believe this is God’s desire too! The challenge is that it is going to mean removing a lot of the excess and honing down on the few areas that matter most. We start the conversation at the workshop, and we keep it going throughout the year with coaching because distraction comes easily. We find that many of our people start out with a solid idea or a dream and start to go for it, but then find that it gets hard and requires a lot of work. The doubts and questions creep in - maybe I missed it? Is this the right path? It’s getting pretty challenging, and this other idea/dream sounds more appealing. Maybe I should do this instead. Goff notes, “You can’t be who you were meant to be and be distracted at the same time.” Our goal is to help our people remain undistracted. The cost of being distracted comes with a high price - loss of time with family, loss of impact on the Kingdom, and loss of the abundant life.
Reflect:
What are you currently fixing your eyes on?
Our calendars reflect our priorities. What does your calendar say about your priorities?
What is your life currently “busy” with?
What could you remove or say “no” to that would free up your time?
What are your major distractions in life?
Who loses out when you are distracted?
What important work are you avoiding/neglecting when you’re distracted?
Developing a New Normal
I’m wrapping up my thoughts here roughly 2 ½ months after my surgery. I’m a different person physically, but also mentally and emotionally. The outcome on the other side of that operating table was that I came out cancer free - praise God! However, there were other unanticipated outcomes and side effects. It wasn’t all as scary as I thought it would be, but it was still one of the hardest experiences of my life. The body of Christ surrounded me and our family in beautiful ways - one of them being a meal train. On one particular evening, a lady from our church was dropping off a meal, and she told me, “You have to learn to accept the new normal.”. That phrase has really stuck with me. Before my surgery, I honestly thought 8 weeks would be up, and I would go right back to my life as before. My body had a different idea, and I had to learn how to be kind to it and listen to it. I had to extend myself grace.
I see the parallels between my own journey, and the one we invite our participants to go on. We, really God, is inviting them into a new normal. All of the striving, the busyness, the missing out, and the anxiety can be removed, but it’s going to take time. Ultimately we don’t know what’s on the other side of those big steps and life changes - leaving a job, starting your own business, decreasing your hours, making big asks etc. but we know the possibilities, and we trust God’s faithfulness. In Undistracted Goff shares, “Don’t give any more airtime to the distractions around you. Remind yourself that you are doing important work and you will not, cannot, simply will never come down. That’s how you build something that lasts. That’s how you stay undistracted.” We just finished up our June Workshop with our fifth cohort. The end result was that three different participants dreamed and hoped for a new kind of life for themselves and their families. They knew by the end that life couldn’t remain the same and that there was some serious work to be done. They left with the hope of building the life they have dreamed of and a plan to build a new normal.
Reflect:
What would you like your “new normal" to look like?
Family Life?
Work?
Relationships?
Spiritual, Emotional, Mental, Physical Health?
What would need to change for it to look like that?
What’s a dream or hope you have for the future that you’ve been thinking about recently?
If you don’t have any current dreams or hopes, why is that?
Download our Undistracted Living Reflection Questions to begin thinking about how to live a life with less distractions.
Sara Payne is first and foremost a beloved child of God. She likes to surround herself with people who love Jesus, be out in nature, work out, cook, and drink delicious cups of coffee. She is married to Ryan, an amazing man who loves Jesus, and also is (in her opinion) a rock star with a band called Attaboy. They have one beautiful little girl named Isabella, who is a joy and delight! Sara’s first job after college was as a missionary serving overseas in Budapest, Hungary. She then transitioned into being a full time English teacher in a PBL school on the south side of Indianapolis, IN. There her mission field was high school students. After getting married, she worked for Magnify Learning as a Branding Manager and PBL facilitator. Since becoming a mama, she now works for Magnify Missions where she is able to combine her love of missions and teaching to serve and coach missionaries and Christian entrepreneurs from around the world.
