Distractions, the great divider of attention… the cause of driving accidents, burned lasagna in the oven (the horror), and thousands of lost hours playing Candy Crush or updating Pinterest. 

I am distracted more often than not. And the concept of multi-tasking is a myth. Research confirms that the brain can only concentrate on one task at a time, but our minds are somewhat effective at switching tasks rapidly to give us a feeling that we are efficiently handling multiple things at once. 

Sometimes my distractible human nature snoozes promptings from the Lord to stay in touch. I don’t always set aside specific time to catch God’s latest messages to me. Just the other day, I caught myself trying to (ironically) speed-read the Israelites’ journey out of Egypt while waiting at the doctor’s office, and I realized all the interruptions in my life were not similar to the ancient people’s own self-inflicted, easily distracted state.

Daily routines can distract me from diving into God’s word. How many times have I tried to squeeze Him in at the end of a day when I’m tired or open His scripture in the early morning only to begin fretting about the list of to-dos for the day? “OK, Lord, this will be a short prayer because I’m a little late for work, but I promise we’ll talk more later.” I know He has heard that message more than once.

God wants to distract me from my distractions and take more of my attention. Perhaps I put His blessings on hold so that I can attend to my Gmail notification dings or view a Snapchat. But on those days I attend to God first and start off the day in prayer, reading, or singing, I find that God sends more notification “dings” my way in the form of answered prayers, opportunities to witness, and good counsel.

Baptized or unbaptized, everyone is distracted and tempted, just as Christ experienced. Jesus resisted the devil’s distractions for 40 days and 40 nights. “If you’re hungry, just turn these rocks into bread” (Matt 4:3-4). Jesus’ reply was simple: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” 

God’s holy word, the Bible and Book of Mormon, are like holy email notifications, and it’s my responsibility to check these messages daily. His Word infuses my spirit with good thoughts, hope, and peace. And the dings and status updates from the Holy Spirit app (install for free with faith, repentance, and baptism and keep up-to-date with daily prayer updates) can guide me to live righteously if I am quick to respond.

*Ding!* Hey look, there’s an unopened message from God awaiting me in His Word. Better go check it out…

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.