[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":74},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-much-attention":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-much-attention-surround":63},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":11,"columnName":46,"date":47,"description":17,"extension":48,"image":49,"meta":50,"minRead":51,"navigation":52,"path":53,"postType":54,"publication":55,"publicationUrl":49,"seo":56,"stem":57,"topics":58,"__hash__":62},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-much-attention.md","Too Much Attention",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10],"Matthew","Psalms",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":42},"minimark",[14,18,21,24,27,30,33,36,39],[15,16,17],"p",{},"Have you ever experienced too much of a good thing?",[15,19,20],{},"You were trying to enjoy a meal with friends in a nice restaurant, but the overly-attentive server kept interrupting your conversation to ask, \"Is everything OK?\" You were browsing in a clothing store, and an eager sales person kept asking, \"Can I help you find something?\"",[15,22,23],{},"Too much attention is just as bad as no attention at all. Well-meaning moms and dads over-parent their kids and smother them with over-indulgence instead of teaching them to stand on their own two feet. Couples eager to have a good marriage over-analyze their relationship instead of just letting it grow—like an overzealous gardener who keeps pulling up a plant to make sure its roots are developing properly.",[15,25,26],{},"Sexuality is an important topic, but does it deserve the non-stop attention it receives from TV producers, comedians, and magazine publishers? We're bombarded by sexually-oriented advertising and entertainment every day. When sex receives so much attention in our culture, it's not a sign of emotional and spiritual health; it's a sign that something is lacking.",[15,28,29],{},"The same can be said about food. As long as I can remember, I have enjoyed a good meal. When I was a boy, my brothers and I often argued over food. We never went hungry, but our quarrels focused on how the food would be distributed. Who would get the last donut? Who would receive the bigger piece of pie? I wanted to make sure I got what was coming to me. I didn't want to miss my portion of the meal.",[15,31,32],{},"But listen to Jesus: \"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?\" (Matthew 6:25). Don't worry about what we eat? Why, most of us think about our next meal or snack throughout the day. And in case we don't, advertisers keep our appetites inflamed. Fast food restaurants line the streets of our neighborhoods. Billboards showing giant burritos and slices of pizza dot the landscape.",[15,34,35],{},"Then, exploiting another market created by our over-indulgence, the weight-loss industry makes us worry about eating too much. For a price, we can purchase special diets and exercise programs to help us curb our appetites and lose weight. We pay to put the pounds on, then pay to take them off.",[15,37,38],{},"In the midst of all the attention we give to food, a voice from the psalmist quietly demands our attention: \"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever\" (Psalm 73:26). When the Lord is with me, I won't miss out on \"my portion.\" When the Lord is with me, I don't need to worry whether or not I will get my share, my allotment, my part. Not only will he provide what I need; he himself is what I need. The psalmist says, \"You are my portion, O Lord\" (Psalm 119:57).",[15,40,41],{},"Compared to all the attention we give our physical needs, shouldn't we give more attention to the kingdom of God? A key to weight loss is portion control; but where the Lord is concerned, most of us could use a second helping.",{"title":43,"searchDepth":44,"depth":44,"links":45},"",2,[],"First Look","2007-01-14","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-much-attention","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":17},"articles\u002Ftoo-much-attention",[59,60,61],"Biblical Theology","Spiritual Formation","Discipleship","rO7lUADProgf8GNBk6IAk58Umb4EoWxhmvi1AnRypw4",[64,69],{"title":65,"path":66,"stem":67,"description":68,"children":-1},"Too Late for the Late Mr. Lazarus?","\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-late-for-the-late-mr-lazarus","articles\u002Ftoo-late-for-the-late-mr-lazarus","Some of Jesus' statements seem puzzling at first glance. When he spoke about \"the yeast of the Pharisees,\" his disciples took him literally. They thought he was talking about yeast because they had no bread (Mark 8:15-17), but Jesus meant it figuratively. Yeast was a picture of corrupt leaders and their evil influence.",{"title":70,"path":71,"stem":72,"description":73,"children":-1},"Too Tired to Serve?","\u002Farticles\u002Ftoo-tired-to-serve","articles\u002Ftoo-tired-to-serve","“He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach . . .” (Mark 3:14).",1790466189197]