My close friend, Bob Withers, writing at his new blog, Mind on Fire, has an insightful and convicting post that describes a serious obsession affecting many (most? all?) Christians living in the 21st century developed world: Electronic Cocaine.
This drug is taken not by mouth or injection, but through the ears and eyes. Bob’s article begins,
“An article on msnbc.com titled, Blunt the Email Interruption Assault, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35689822/ns/business-small_business/, reminds me of a Saturday morning men’s Bible study in my church years ago. As we were discussing the challenge of mediating on Scripture and responding to God’s Word in obedience in a society with increasingly shortened attention spans, Kenny Brelsford said, “Pastor Bob, the way we live with all the noise and interruptions is like being on electronic cocaine.”
He goes on to note how the constant stimulus brought to us through our ever-present electronic devices competes against God himself for our attention:
“Short attention spans are incompatible with meditation on the Word of God, as they are incompatible with looking to the LORD our God. We cannot give God sustained attention if we are addicted to interruptions. We cannot give people humane attention if we are on electronic cocaine – we come to see people as just interruptions to be dispensed with so that we can move on to the next interruption – and of course we think nothing of interrupting others.”
The whole article is worth your consideration. If you are as convicted as I am you will read it and weep.
