To Achieve Anything Avoid These…

2 Kings 4:29
Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. Don’t greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

Gehazi was a servant to Elisha the prophet. They traveled together and lived together. When a Shunammite woman comes seeking help from Elisha, he realizes it is urgent and important. Elisha sends Gehazi to go and help resolve whatever problem had occurred. The appearance of the Shunammite woman shows that whatever it is must be given priority.

In our text today, Elisha gives specific instructions to Gehazi. He tells him to run immediately and go to where the son of the Shunammite is and lay his staff on the boy’s head. Whether he is dead or alive, just lay the staff on the head. This is the boy who came into the life of the Shunammite woman who had lived without a child together with her old husband. The Shunammite had not asked for this child, it is Elisha who offered that God grants her a child. Now it seems something is wrong with the child and it needs to be addressed urgently!

Elisha tells Gehazi to tuck his cloak into his belt. While running a cloak can be cumbersome and even it can get in your way and you trip and hurt yourself. A cloak while a good thing can distract you significantly. Therefore, ensure that the cloak does not get in your way. Do not accept to be distracted. To achieve anything avoid distraction!

Elisha tells Gehazi to take the prophet’s staff and run. Don’t just run. Have the tool at hand before running. Have an agenda before running. Have a plan before running. Don’t just run into relationships, first be clear on what you want and then go for it. Don’t just run into business. Don’t just run into deals that sound good. Don’t just run into competitive politics. Don’t just run into academic programs, it can end up being heartache. Don’t just run into the ministry of leading the church, it can become a nightmare. Have the staff before running. Do not be distracted by the run, have an agenda first. To achieve anything avoid distractions!

Elisha tells Gehazi not to greet anyone nor accept greetings from anyone. Greetings are routine niceties. There are times when the routine gets in the way of achieving something. If Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had ignored the business ideas in order to finish routine studies and graduate, that routine would have impoverished them. Routine has its place, but when it becomes a distraction, it should be avoided at all costs. Do not follow the routine of greeting and being greeted. That routine is a distraction. To achieve anything avoid distractions!

Cultures vary in who initiates greetings. In some cultures, the young greet the old as a sign of respect. In other cultures, the old greet the young. In those cultures, the reverse is not allowed. When Gehazi is told not to greet anyone or accept greetings from anyone, it means all distractions must be avoided. Distractions from the young and from the old. Distractions from those you should respect and from those who should respect you. Distraction is a distraction and it must be avoided. To achieve anything avoid distractions!

Gehazi should have been concerned about his image. what would those who greet me think if I ignore them and keep running? What will those who I should greet think when I don’t do so and just keep running? The greatest distraction of our time is the concern about what people will think. You will not achieve anything if you are distracted by the unknown of what people will think. Like Gehazi, we must run our race and let the people arrive at their own conclusion. God knows why we must ignore them. May God help us so that we rise above concerns of what people will think. To achieve anything avoid distractions!

Finally, Elisha tells him that after avoiding all distractions, lay the staff on the boy’s head. We can be so busy avoiding distractions that we forget the main mission. We can be so busy avoiding distractions, that avoiding distractions becomes a distraction. You can be so organized until you achieve nothing except organization. You can keep time so well and do nothing after that. You can dress so well and yet you are not ready for the function. Avoiding distractions can easily become a distraction. We should remain focused on the desired goal. To achieve anything avoid distractions!

What are the distractions in your spiritual life? Are you so concerned about the end of the world and evil schemes that you are now distracted from earning a living and pursuing a decent life? What are the distractions in your academic life? What is taking your attention from focusing on academics? A relationship? A teacher who doesn’t like you? Life in school that you feel like it’s your business to comment and change? What are the distractions in your social life? Have you read so much about being an ideal person, that you can no longer see the right person around? You are now distracted by perfectionism? To achieve anything avoid distractions!

Dear God, we are distracted. Sometimes we know what is distracting us and sometimes we don’t know. Save us from distraction, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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