Spiritual Multitasking
According to Webster, multitasking is the concurrent performance of several jobs by a computer. I think it may be one key to spiritual growth. Let me explain.
I Corinthians 10:31 has always been one of my favorite verses. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I had a new thought today. Is this verse about multitasking? I've always thought of multi-tasking in negative terms. Do whatever you're doing and be "fully present." And there is a time and place to be totally focused on one thing. But I wonder if this verse is about inviting God into every area of our life. Do we compartmentalize our spirituality? In other words, do we give God ninety minutes on Sunday or fifteen minutes in the morning? And then exclude Him from the rest of our lives? I've always thought that one key to spirituality over the long-haul is fitting God into the rhythm of our day. Maybe multitasking is the key.
Deuteronomy 6 is all about multitasking. It tells us how to impress the commandments on our children. It says, "Talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and your gates."
In other words, surround yourself with God reminders. I tend to think of terms of our five senses. How do we surround ourselves with visual or auditory or tactile reminders? It can be a screen savor or memento that act as visual reminders. How do we surround-sound ourselves? I have an idea, but let me make one other observation first. I think the key phrase in Deteuronomy 6 may be "walk along the road." If that verse was written today it'd be "drive along the road." I'm absolutely convinced that the commute may be the most underappreciated and underutilized opportunity for spiritual growth. Most Washingtonians spend more than an hour a day on the metro or on the beltway. Too often that time is wasted. What if we saw the commute as our devotional time? What if we invited God onto the metro or into our car? What if we did a little multitasking? So here's my idea. I got my first Ipod last week. Based on a news report I saw last week, I'm one of 5.61 million Americans who got an Ipod in the last three months! I wonder if the Ipod is the key to spiritual multitasking. So many Christians feel guilty about "not spending enough time with God." What if we took God with us everywhere we went? That's what I did last week. I listened to worship music and the Bible as I walked back and forth from work. My commute is all of five minutes, but I redeemed that time! I even listened to some of my messages while I worked out. I exercised by soul and my body at the same time. I think the church needs to lead the Ipod charge. I'm not stuck on the brand, but I think the technology needs to redeemed to for spiritual purposes!
In the 17th century, a Carmelite friar named Brother Lawrence wrote a book that has become a spiritual classic. Three centuries later, The Practice of the Presence of God is just as relevant now as it was then. The singular goal of his life was to live in the presence of God. His life was an experiment in how to live in constant communion with Christ. What's interesting is that he said that "formal times of prayer" appealed to Him less and less. He believed that prayer is not necessarily "saying prayers" but "a way of living in which all we do becomes a prayer." He said, "Learn to see God and His glory in everything we do, say, and undertake." Brother Lawrence's life consisted primarily of menial tasks. But those tasks did not divert his attention from God. He said, "Each of our actions is a way of carrying on a little conversation with God." He said the great delusion is that time set aside for prayer should be any different than any other time during the day. "There is no mode of life in the world more pleasing and more full of delight than continual conversation with God; only those who practice and experience it can understand it." Brother Lawrence mastered the art of spiritual multitasking! Imagine if he'd had an Ipod :)
So here is what I am. I began the day with an unexamined assumption that multitaking is bad for us spiritually. And I end the day thinking that multitasking may be what it's all about. It's about inviting God to be part of everything we do. Ironically, it's saying to Jesus just what Jesus says to us--"Come, follow me."
I Corinthians 10:31 has always been one of my favorite verses. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I had a new thought today. Is this verse about multitasking? I've always thought of multi-tasking in negative terms. Do whatever you're doing and be "fully present." And there is a time and place to be totally focused on one thing. But I wonder if this verse is about inviting God into every area of our life. Do we compartmentalize our spirituality? In other words, do we give God ninety minutes on Sunday or fifteen minutes in the morning? And then exclude Him from the rest of our lives? I've always thought that one key to spirituality over the long-haul is fitting God into the rhythm of our day. Maybe multitasking is the key.
Deuteronomy 6 is all about multitasking. It tells us how to impress the commandments on our children. It says, "Talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and your gates."
In other words, surround yourself with God reminders. I tend to think of terms of our five senses. How do we surround ourselves with visual or auditory or tactile reminders? It can be a screen savor or memento that act as visual reminders. How do we surround-sound ourselves? I have an idea, but let me make one other observation first. I think the key phrase in Deteuronomy 6 may be "walk along the road." If that verse was written today it'd be "drive along the road." I'm absolutely convinced that the commute may be the most underappreciated and underutilized opportunity for spiritual growth. Most Washingtonians spend more than an hour a day on the metro or on the beltway. Too often that time is wasted. What if we saw the commute as our devotional time? What if we invited God onto the metro or into our car? What if we did a little multitasking? So here's my idea. I got my first Ipod last week. Based on a news report I saw last week, I'm one of 5.61 million Americans who got an Ipod in the last three months! I wonder if the Ipod is the key to spiritual multitasking. So many Christians feel guilty about "not spending enough time with God." What if we took God with us everywhere we went? That's what I did last week. I listened to worship music and the Bible as I walked back and forth from work. My commute is all of five minutes, but I redeemed that time! I even listened to some of my messages while I worked out. I exercised by soul and my body at the same time. I think the church needs to lead the Ipod charge. I'm not stuck on the brand, but I think the technology needs to redeemed to for spiritual purposes!
In the 17th century, a Carmelite friar named Brother Lawrence wrote a book that has become a spiritual classic. Three centuries later, The Practice of the Presence of God is just as relevant now as it was then. The singular goal of his life was to live in the presence of God. His life was an experiment in how to live in constant communion with Christ. What's interesting is that he said that "formal times of prayer" appealed to Him less and less. He believed that prayer is not necessarily "saying prayers" but "a way of living in which all we do becomes a prayer." He said, "Learn to see God and His glory in everything we do, say, and undertake." Brother Lawrence's life consisted primarily of menial tasks. But those tasks did not divert his attention from God. He said, "Each of our actions is a way of carrying on a little conversation with God." He said the great delusion is that time set aside for prayer should be any different than any other time during the day. "There is no mode of life in the world more pleasing and more full of delight than continual conversation with God; only those who practice and experience it can understand it." Brother Lawrence mastered the art of spiritual multitasking! Imagine if he'd had an Ipod :)
So here is what I am. I began the day with an unexamined assumption that multitaking is bad for us spiritually. And I end the day thinking that multitasking may be what it's all about. It's about inviting God to be part of everything we do. Ironically, it's saying to Jesus just what Jesus says to us--"Come, follow me."
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