It's like clockwork. I sit down to meditate...I've told God that I'm here simply to sit with Him and listen...I've stilled and settled my body with some slow, deep breaths...and BAM! God-only-knows how many minutes I've been sitting there thinking about some random distracting thought like what groceries I need to order from the store that day! A surge of frustration hits, and I feel like meditation is useless and I'm sitting here for nothing!

Have you experienced something similar? Please tell me I'm not alone in this (lie to me if you have to)! I imagine for some, it's the very reason they give up on trying to meditate at all. Or maybe it's the reason you've never started. 

Quieting your soul can be tough! Especially if you don't already have a habit of doing it regularly. It's why meditation is considered a practice...it takes practice! The Bible says to take our thoughts captive, but how do we actually do that?

Here are the things that have most helped me move past distractions in the last 8 years of my meditation practice: 

1. Notice & Acknowledge: Once you realize that you've been meditating on your grocery list instead of God's word, simply say to yourself, "Oh, I'm thinking about groceries". That's it. No judgement. Don't say to yourself, "I knew I wasn't any good at meditation...this proves it. I'll never be able to do this". Simply acknowledge what you've been thinking about. 
2. Let Go (or Don't cling to the thoughts): Once you acknowledge that you've been thinking about something else, don't get mired in the details of those thoughts, but simply let it go. Some helpful mental images that can be used to do this are:
   1. Put it in a bubble: See yourself under the water looking up toward the surface, and with your next exhale, send that bubble with the thought in it, floating up to the surface of the water. I see it wafting up and away from me and I acknowledge in that moment, that if it's something important, it'll be waiting for me when I'm done. 
   2. See it like a passing cloud: Let your "distracting" thought be like a passing cloud. See it moving away and past you, and then refocus on your intention or your breath.
   3. Let it move past you: Imagine you're sitting peacefully meditating next to a flowing river. See the thought as a piece of natural debris that is moving along with the flow of the water. See it turn the corner of the river bend, and then refocus on your intention or your breath. 

Ultimately, you must come to see distractions differently than you do now. Most people are discouraged by distractions during meditation because they believe it's proof they are not "doing it right". When in fact, the reason you are thinking those thoughts is because that's exactly what God designed you to do. Think, dream, and imagine. It's not bad. It's good. It's normal. It's expected. 

Furthermore, distractions are opportunities. Learning to refocus on your intention or your breath is a skill that is ONLY practiced through having distracting thoughts and then returning your focus. So in fact, not only do I expect distractions during meditation, but I'm thankful for them, because I know they are training my mind and strengthening my discipline of focus. 

So the next time discouragement about a distracting thought tries to steal your moment, put it in a bubble and send it floating away. You'll probably have to do this a hundred times, and that's OK. This is you, living the Bible out in real life. Taking thoughts captive and setting your gaze on the beauty of the Lord.