Food for Thought: Limited Attention Spans

We are all aware of the pervasive bombardment of us all with rapidly changing stimulation. The images and sounds that constantly invade our personal space have some people worried that it causes us to be unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time.

During my teacher education and periodically during continuing education courses, teachers were taught that children have, at best, about a ten-minute attention span. We were cautioned to keep learning activities short and active, and to switch topics often in order to keep students “engaged”. However, what I found is that students who were involved in activities that truly interested them, and that provided opportunities for them to feel invested hated to be interrupted and dragged into a different subject area. They would eagerly continue working on their projects as long as they were allowed to.

The lesson for us, it seems to me, is that it is not that attention spans are naturally short, or that it is our rapidly changing distractions that have caused it. The truth may just be that we have failed to involve our children, or ourselves, in ideas and activities that we can take an active interest in accomplishing. When we love what we are doing we tend to stay with it until we have accomplished our goal.

With love as our motivation, we can ardently use our spiritual gifts for the right outcomes. As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.” 1 Corinthians 14:12. As it says in Romans 5:5: “Love comes through the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

We can use the Holy Spirit (let it flow through us) to keep it burning brightly in our lives. We can keep praying for the Holy Spirit to “renew our minds day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16. “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7. Once we have made a sincere commitment to do God’s will, we will find ourselves concentrating on the good we can undertake in this world. Loving our neighbors and acting with the inspiration and help of the Holy Spirit within us, we can accomplish unlimited good work in Jesus' name.