Do You Have Spiritual Scroll Syndrome?

 

Have you noticed that our world has a very short attention span? As a teacher, I see it every day. Social media and television has created the mentality that if I'm not entertained in the first minute, then I move on to something else. I call this "Scroll Syndrome." Do you have this? Ask yourself this. "Do I tell myself I'm only going to look at reels and videos for a minute, only to realize an hour or two has passed without realizing it? Do I find myself unable to focus on a reel for more than a few seconds if it doesn't catch my attention?" I'm going to be honest with you. Any animal video will catch my attention. I can't tell you how many dog videos I've found myself watching, simply because a snuggly dog looks adoringly at the camera. This syndrome makes for a difficult time if you are an educator, speaker, or pastor.  Your congregation or students are no longer there to learn. They are there to be entertained. The scroll syndrome now enters the church and becomes Spiritual Scroll Syndrome. If the speaker doesn't entertain you in the first minute or two, you mentally check out.  You might look through your phone, think about what you'll do when service is over, or simply stare into space. The danger of this is that you are no longer letting God direct His Word for you. You are filtering it for your comfort or entertainment. No one likes to be challenged, corrected, or have their spiritual toes stepped on, but we need it in order to grow and become less like ourselves and more like Jesus. If we scroll past the sermon when it makes us uncomfortable or it's not entertaining enough, we limit what God can do in our lives. If you begin to see the Word of God as a message from the Creator of the universe just for you, would it make you stop mentally scrolling and listen? I challenge you to focus on anything God can give you. Don't let the world's lack of focus spiritually limit you. After all, we serve a limitless God.

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!