getting bogged down

"but watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. for it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. but stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:34-36

i'm a "right here, right now" type of person (no, not like jesus jones... though i CAN do the falsetto). more like, i can get very focused on the place that i am, the people i'm around, the task at hand or even the current distraction. this can be a good thing in some instances (such as not getting homesick when traveling or pushing to finish a task), but it can also become a tunnel vision that keeps me from thinking ahead. i miss the big picture and need reminding.

as i read this passage today, it was a big picture reminder. "watch" - i tend to notice this word a lot. i don't think that Jesus would say "watch," if there wasn't a danger.

as i was meditating on this idea of dangers that could bog me down and take my mind off of the reality of Christ's impending return, i realized that i wasn't coming up with a good mental definition of "dissipation." so i looked it up. of course, the first one in the list wasn't really all that helpful:

1. the act of dissipating.

duh. but then it got thought provoking:

2. the state of being dissipated; dispersion; disintegration.
3. a wasting by misuse: the dissipation of a fortune.
4. mental distraction; amusement; diversion.
5. dissolute way of living, esp. excessive drinking of liquor; intemperance.
6. Physics, Mechanics. a process in which energy is used or lost without accomplishing useful work, as friction causing loss of mechanical energy.

how do i keep from wasting what i have, just muddling through the day? i need to heed Jesus' commands: watch, stay awake, pray... be aware of His impending return, because someday i will stand before the Son of Man.