Have you ever been overwhelmed with so much to do you were certain nothing would ever get done? I have and on more than one occasion. One of the more popular solutions for juggling our responsibilities is learning how to multitask. By definition, multitasking is being able to give our attention to multiple tasks at the same time to effectively get things done. The problem is many studies have shown multitasking is a lie! A 2009 analysis of people who claimed to be high-performing multitaskers revealed they underperformed in almost every area compared to those who stated they were terrible multitaskers. This research proved what many have come to discover–we’re just not very good at doing many things at once. I've known few people who can actually juggle, yet, we still insist it's possible! There are over six million web pages offering advice on how to be better at multitasking!
Multitasking Our Faith
One of the worst areas we can attempt to multitask concerns our faith. In my years of following Christ and serving in ministry, I have seen many current topics within the Christian faith become the popular emphasis. The worship movement, spiritual warfare movement, the prophetic movement, and the prophetic spiritual warfare worship movement! (deep breath, here!) Renewal, revival, missional, new Calvinism, and social justice. When one of these topics grasps our attention we dive headfirst into the exploration and application. What we then do is aim to balance or “multitask” these “new things” with the foundational disciplines necessary for our spiritual growth. What I’ve observed is what usually suffers the most are these necessary disciplines, such as studying scripture, prayer, and being faithfully engaged in the faith community. The new found attractions become the “shiny objects” receiving most of our attention. I've seen some go off the rails with the shiny object, forsaking the foundations of our faith and even the authority of scripture. This results in an insistence that others in the church should be sharing their focus or risk “missing what God is doing”. Sadly, I've seen relationships ruined, the church divided, and some led astray by these actions.
Essentials and Nonessentials
The primary beliefs and concerns of our faith are referred to as “the essentials”. The essentials would be the long–held doctrines of orthodox Christianity, such as the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the Incarnation, and salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. These issues are non-negotiable. We hold tightly to these beliefs as if in a “closed hand”. Then there are the secondary issues or “nonessentials''. Nonessential issues are all of the other things that are a part of our faith life. For example, ecclesiology, or the way in which we do Church; worship or the way in which we encounter God's presence; the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and missiology, or the way in which we share our faith. In these areas we should have an “opened hand” which basically means they're not exactly written in stone or clearly in scripture. We don't hold too tightly to them, they are open to discussion, and we could agree to disagree with others points of view. The problem arises when anyone makes non-essentials essential. When we do so and then attempt to multi-task with what we should be most important, I believe it’s nearly always the essentials that usually suffer. And we've already learned multitasking is a lie.
Our Priority
Do these things matter? Yes, I believe they may, just not in the way in which we think. All of the aspects of faith mentioned above have value, but they are a means to an end not the end in itself. What is the end? I believe Jesus defined it very well for us. On one occasion, Jesus was being challenged by the religious leaders of the day. They really weren’t interested in learning from Christ, but were testing him to discredit his legitimacy as a prophet sent from God. After one–upping the Sadducees, the Pharisees thought they’d have a go at it. He was asked by a lawyer, “What is the greatest commandment written in the law?” Jesus’ response is clear:
“‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37–40)
Jesus’ answer is so profound we would be foolish to not give it our full attention. This is our priority. We first love God. We then love others as ourselves. According to Jesus, every imperative ever written in the Law and the prophets rests upon one of these two. So what does this mean concerning multitasking our faith, essentials and nonessentials and the shiny objects that tend to attract our attention?
Simply this–everything we give our consideration to should be creating in us a greater love for God or a greater love for others. Or both!
If not, we’re being distracted and what matters most may be misplaced as our priority.
We Can't Multitask With Our Faith
We can't multitask with our faith without causing the more essential areas to suffer. We must prioritize loving God and loving others. Everything else drawing our interest must always be filtered into one of these two imperatives. Be careful not to allow a "nonessential" to become "essential". If we get this right, we will be living faithfully into what God desires from our lives.
Notes
1. The New King James Version (Mt 22:37–40). (1982). Thomas Nelson.