Sabbath Devotional :: Voices

Like many of you I am a news junkie. I want to know what’s going on in the U.S., as well as around the world and understand the issues and respective implications. And also like most of you, I never seem to have enough time in any given day or week to read (and do) all of the things I would like to. So many responsibilities, worthy causes and interests vying for our time. So many sources of news competing for our attention, it feels like ‘information overload’ or at least ‘abundance’ is the order of the day. Throw in an obsession for good books and worthy ideas and it makes for a constant tug between preferences and priorities.

For me, one solution for keeping up with the vast amount of worthy data available has been mindful multi-tasking. With a smart phone that offers a ‘window on the world’ I’ve become addicted to doing almost everything while listening to a constant feed of audio information. I ‘go through the motions’ of mundane, tedious tasks while literally ‘plugged in’ — streaming news, listening to podcasts, a book on tape, General Conference talks, a BYU Lecture or devotional, even a Netflix show and all kinds of great music. Filling the stage of my mind with audio entertainment and information during daily routines often feels like a great solution. It soothes my sometimes impatient personality and calms my anxious tendencies, while keeping me up to date on many worthy and useful topics. I know many friends who do the same — ‘plugging in’ to get through a set of routine motions that don’t require too much mindfulness while making a dent in the many worthy sources of news and information.

But I’ve begun to wonder if perhaps I’m so distracted with the many voices competing for my attention that I’m becoming a bit deaf to the voices actually worth hearing. For example, this week as I pleaded for insight and understanding on a sensitive issue, It dawned on me the hypocrisy of asking God in a morning prayer to ‘enlighten my mind’ and to ‘let me be an instrument in His hands’ if I am so distracted listening to other voices that anything He might try to tell me would be drowned out. I had to stop and ask myself: Am I so “plugged in” that I am literally unplugged from the Spirit? Have I moved from productive multi-tasking to crowding out the voices that are really worth hearing? Has my mind become “blind” because it is so full of interesting but perhaps unimportant data?

I have learned that the quiet voice of the Lord, manifest through the Holy Ghost will usually not shout at us. Instead we have to make some quiet room for the Spirit to settle in and tell us what we need to hear. So as I prepare for Sunday worship and prepare for the week ahead, I’m going to try and not let myself be so consumed by voices that entertain and inform me, that there is no room for the voices that teach, instruct and inspire.

As Founders we will be taking Sunday off, and so will the committee who approve posts. Anything posted on Sunday will be approved on Monday morning. So here’s to a restful, peaceful and renewing Sabbath to all as we focus on listening to the voices worth hearing.