FULL ATTENTION

Do you feel like you are always online? Even when we’re not looking at our screens, our phones are in our bags or pockets, ready to buzz with messages or alerts for us to look at. One writer came up with the phrase “continual partial attention” to describe the way we always need to know what’s happening ‘out there’, to make sure we’re not missing anything. But this continual alertness to our phones can lead to quite serious anxiety. Although the apostle Paul struggled with anxiety for different reasons, he understood our souls are wired to find peace in God. Which is why, in a letter to new Christians who’d gone through persecution (1 THESSALONIANS 2:14), he told them to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances” (5:16-18). Praying “continually” might sound impossible. But then, how often do we check our phones? What if we instead let that urge to go online be a prompt to talk to God? To say thank you, lift up a prayer request or praise Him? If our minds can be continually connected to the online world, then we are able to be continually focusing on God. What if we learned to swap the need to always be in ‘the know’ for continual, prayerful rest with God? Always checking our phones and listening out for them can lead to anxiety and restlessness. But talking to God frequently during the day can lead to peacefulness and the confidence that we already have everything we really need to know in the Bible.