Nobody Truly Multitasks, and Neither Can You
Be honest – what else are you doing as you read this post? Are you waiting for an appointment? Are you watching your notifications waiting for a new text message or Instagram comment? Are you sitting in our Chick-fil-A drive thru or in a curbside spot waiting for your food? If not, what’s stopping you?
We live in a world where, at any given moment, we’re attempting to do multiple things at one time. We listen to podcast episodes and audiobooks while we exercise. We sit in Zoom meetings, appearing as if we’re paying attention when in reality we’re responding to emails or scrolling through our social media feeds. Some of us even let tasks bleed over into the worst possible moments, such as when we’re sitting at the dinner table with family or behind the wheel of a car.
The truth is that while we all multitask, nobody multi-focuses. It’s neurologically impossible to focus your attention on multiple things at one time. For example, think back on the Zoom meeting scenario I mentioned before. You may be physically present, but you’re mentally somewhere else. Although you might physically hear what’s being said, you’re not mentally engaging with or processing the information. Your brain then tries to fill in the gaps based on assumptions and presuppositions, which can be misleading and dangerous depending upon the accuracy (or lack thereof) of your best guesses.
While multitasking might present itself as an attractive option in a world that constantly demands more of our time, energy, and attention, there is no substitute for a fully engaged and central Pursuit of a specific task or goal. I believe this perspective is at the heart of one of Jesus’ most prominent teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, and the one that our weeks-long series brings us to today:
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” – Matthew 6:24, NLT
I should put out two important disclaimers here. First of all, Jesus is not implying that money in itself is evil. Money is neither inherently good or bad, but as Paul points out in 1 Timothy 6:10, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil (emphasis added).
Secondly, “hate” is a relative term here. Jesus is using hyperbole to make a point, in the same way that He tells us we must “hate” our father and mother in order to be His disciple (see Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:26). The message is not that we must loathe everything else in life besides God, but that our adoration and devotion to our Father must far exceed everything else in life to the point where all other affections look like hate in comparison.
With these things in mind, we have a choice to make. Will we attempt to keep several plates spinning, of which our relationship with Jesus is just one of many obligations we hope to continue upholding and fulfilling? Or will we submit fully to our faith, recognizing that nothing else in life truly matters and counting it all as loss, as Paul alludes to in Philippians 3 when Paul calls everything else “worthless” compared to the value of knowing Jesus as Lord (see Philippians 3:7-8, NLT)?
Remember, you might be able to multitask, but you’ll never be able to multifocus, and our supreme focus is what Jesus ultimately desires and rewards.