A flurry of thoughts may pour through your mind. Is this message possibly for me? What kind of message is it going to be? Was there cheer and happiness in the announcer’s voice or did they sound serious and directive? However, once the message is conveyed and we find ourselves unaffected by the directives, we tend to put our head down and simply go about our day.
Everyone is fighting for your attention. Daily, you are bombarded by pop-up ads on social media, push emails from solicitors, unwanted texts, junk mail, robocalls, and commercials. With so much overwhelming information flying at you, it’s hard to sort through what is important and not important, finding ourselves accidentally overlooking or deleting a valuable message. In addition, the demands of our work, social, spiritual, and personal schedules pull us in different directions, too.
What is captivating the majority of our attention? According to recent studies, adults spend more than eleven hours per day interacting with media (watching, listening, or reading). Teens spend approximately nine hours a day engaged in social media platforms. How is this affecting you? What changes need to be made in order to focus on what’s truly of value? Shouldn’t our priority and attention be directed to developing meaningful personal interactions, conversations, and relationships with our families, friends, and our faith?
God is constantly calling out to us, “Attention! Attention! May I please have your attention?” HE speaks to us in the stillness. Are we listening? Do we hear Him directing us to a higher purpose to build His kingdom and serve others – the invisible, the unseen, the poor, the hungry, the sick?
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.
Time, your time, is a valuable currency. It is a precious and limited resource. Where are you focusing your time and attention? How are you investing it?
About Katie Hart Smith
Katie Hart Smith’s column, “From the Heart,” touches the heart, inspires, and entertains. Smith, a published author for over twenty years, believes that words, written or spoken, have power. To learn more, visit www.katiehartsmith.com.
