Much to Do about Nothing

The Details:
When: Saturday past
Where: My home office
What: A media frenzy

The Scene:
I, seated in my home office chair, angled toward the computer monitor on which is displayed Major League Baseball’s Website, through which I am tuned to the New York Yankee’s home radio broadcast of their big game with the arch rival Red Sox. In addition, on the PC I have opened a couple of news- and politics-related Website as well as my e-mail application.

At my right foot, below the computer desk, sit speakers attached to the PC, on the face of which is a power/volume knob by which I can control how much, if any, of the speaker’s output reaches my ears.

To my left, atop the PC tower, is an AM/FM radio tuned to the local affiliate of the Hawkeye Sports Network, this day broadcasting coverage of the intra-state football rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State.

Slightly behind me and to my right is a television connected to a satellite’s worth of channels, currently employing a list of favorites I’ve labeled simply “Sports,” allowing me to rotate quickly and efficiently through available games.

The Operation:
Amidst that phalanx of gadgetry, for a couple of hours on Saturday I danced a ballet – call it “The Multitasker.” Fluidly switching from output to output, from pause command to mute button, I conquered as best I could the devilish detail that neither the Hawks’ nor Yanks’ television product was in sync with its radio com padre. My objective was to watch plays before hearing them, then flip and turn and click as necessary to listen to the homie announcers’ spin, a result whose pursuit kept me in perpetual motion since the TV Yanks were forty-five seconds ahead of the Internet radio variety, while the Hawks on TV lagged five seconds behind the radio network. It was quite the show, quite the dexterous display from a fan eager to have to it all ways.

The Lesson:
When the circus ended and I didn’t have to think about the direction from which I would receive the next bit of information overload, I connected my brief laptop dance to experiences common in today’s culture. In this frenetic, technocentric age, it’s almost required that we adeptly handle the random but persistent information storms that seek our attention from all angles.

Newspapers, radio, and television are the grizzled veterans, but today they are joined by an online universe far greater in size, scope, and potential immersion. From online bill paying to news and entertainment delivered to cell phones and computer screens, today’s information consumers are bombarded with options. The more experienced and proficient the consumer, the more likely he or she will choose many rather than only a few of those options, the result being a divided, distracted attention span. Add to these new media such things as family life (can you say “soccer practice”?), work, and friends, and the result is life pulled in more directions than there are points on a compass.

What happens to our spiritual health in such a cacophony of options? When the next appointment, obligation, text message, or other information over/download is just minutes away, what happens to our spiritual focus? When there is no such thing as time away, how do we manage time away with God?

Given the attractive choices modern times provide – choices that are frequently not mutually exclusive – it’s easy to rationalize reductions in our time spent in prayer, Scripture reading, or worship. “I just don’t have time!” is an excuse likely to generate considerable empathy... except from God.

It’s not often noted, but the Israelites Moses led out of bondage in Egypt lived in a spiritually pluralistic piece of the world. Witness the first commandment, which demands only that people have no other gods before God – an obvious, if also tacit acceptance of the existence of other gods, other diversions of attention. Later in Israel’s history, the rise of monotheism (one God; only one God; no others; get it?) demanded that people make an irrevocable choice. In our current age’s technological pluralism, I think we need to revisit Scripture’s demands. (How about Jesus’ rejection of would-be followers who wanted to bid farewell to family members before turning their attention to him?)

Because God is not satisfied to be among the inputs we consider, it was challenging fun to manage multiple Websites and various media outlets from my home office chair last Saturday, but it was not a template for healthy spirituality. It’s not enough to speak a “Thank God” every now and then, if that’s our sole or even just primary voice of praise. It does not suffice to gather with Christians on Sundays, if those meetings are our week’s only worship.

I know you’re busy. I know the modern world gives you all kinds of options. But I also know God doesn’t accept second place. Leave a comment to tell us about how you make sense of all this.


Pray with me:
Help me acknowledge then filter out the things that distract me from you, God. I am a busy person, but not too busy to stay busy with and for you. I accept your command for first place in my life. Direct me to choices that reflect that acceptance. In the name of Jesus, Amen.