.jpeg)
Today's meditation
.jpeg)
One thing at a time
Psalm 16: Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; I have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my good above all other." All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, upon those who are noble among the people. But those who run after other gods shall have their troubles multiplied.
Research has shown that multitasking, often defended as an efficient way to work, actually slows productivity. Some studies say that productivity declines as much as 40 percent as the brain is taxed by switching focus from one task to another. Still, many people think they’re the exception, that they truly can multitask and accomplish more than others.
But the human brain, like the soul, must be centered to do its work most effectively. The writer of Psalm 16 knew to center his life on God, for he wrote to God, “You are my Lord, my good above all other.” He also knew the consequences of having multiple priorities confusing the soul and mind, saying, “those who run after other gods shall have their troubles multiplied.”
In spiritual terms, we wander away from God by feeling that we can juggle temporal priorities perfectly well with eternal concerns. But we cannot have more than one priority at the top of the list; we will suffer from the confusion of competing interests. The mind cannot deeply focus on more than one task at a time.
And surely the same is true for the soul.
Psalm 17; Isaiah 3:8-15; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; Luke 20:41-21:4
Copyright 2024 by Carol Mead. For noncommercial use and sharing only. For more information on this ministry, and on a free subscription to these meditations, please contact the author by email (thenewmead@yahoo.com).
Research has shown that multitasking, often defended as an efficient way to work, actually slows productivity. Some studies say that productivity declines as much as 40 percent as the brain is taxed by switching focus from one task to another. Still, many people think they’re the exception, that they truly can multitask and accomplish more than others.
But the human brain, like the soul, must be centered to do its work most effectively. The writer of Psalm 16 knew to center his life on God, for he wrote to God, “You are my Lord, my good above all other.” He also knew the consequences of having multiple priorities confusing the soul and mind, saying, “those who run after other gods shall have their troubles multiplied.”
In spiritual terms, we wander away from God by feeling that we can juggle temporal priorities perfectly well with eternal concerns. But we cannot have more than one priority at the top of the list; we will suffer from the confusion of competing interests. The mind cannot deeply focus on more than one task at a time.
And surely the same is true for the soul.
Psalm 17; Isaiah 3:8-15; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; Luke 20:41-21:4
Copyright 2024 by Carol Mead. For noncommercial use and sharing only. For more information on this ministry, and on a free subscription to these meditations, please contact the author by email (thenewmead@yahoo.com).