Ding! Text message. Ding! Social media notification. Ding! New email. Ding! Work call. Ding, ding, ding. The very devices that literally put a whole new world at our fingertips have also increased the level of noise in our lives and blurred the boundaries between family time, work, school, activities, and friendships.

There is often a cacophony of noise all around us that can distract and disorient us. It can be difficult to navigate all of this. Our attention is pulled in a million different directions. But the Creator of the universe (and of you and me) is calling to us to refocus.

My prayer for you as you consider this topic comes from Philippians 1:9-10 “…that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best…”.

Our lives sometimes reflect college basketball tournament play – the anticipation, excitement, loud noise, cheers, jeers, distractions, hard work, victories, and defeats. While some of these things may be good and others not so much, all of it can detract our focus and hinder us from keeping the first things first.

Establish the foundation for the future at young ages so that your children will have the skills they need when the time for dating comes. And it will come…the idea and desire to have a special relationship probably will occur earlier than you’d like. Laying the groundwork for dating now sets the stage for healthy decisions later.

As the pre-teen and teenage years arrive, our kids may tend to think they know more than they do, and they certainly think they know more than we do. The most difficult and ominous thing to talk to our teens about is the one we can’t get away from. It’s not necessarily “the talk,” but it certainly is that topic.