A few months ago I was driving into downtown Estes Park. The driver in the other lane right next to me was driving erratically. One time she entered my lane and almost side-swiped me. The light turned red but she only saw it at the last moment and screeched to a stop.

I glanced into her car. On her lap was a cell phone. She was texting.

My stomach tightened. What if she hadn’t seen the red light and plowed into the pedestrians just then crossing the walk?

When the light turned green, she didn’t notice because she was still texting. In my lane I had to wait for a green arrow so I had ample opportunity to see how many seconds ticked by before she noticed the green light. I glanced in my rear-view window and saw the irritated looks of the drivers behind her.

So many drivers ignore the law about not texting while driving. I think they believe they can handle both tasks well.

What I witnessed proves that false.

I think a lot of Christians have the same confident mind-set about multi-tasking even during worship at church. “I can check my emails, drink coffee, converse with people in the same row of seats, and try to mentally process solutions to a problem at work, and still give the Lord His due while singing hymns or praise songs.”

We all do it. Our minds flit between worship and fleshly concerns.

The next time you enter church for worship, or your place at home to spend some time with the Lord, decide not to multi-task.

1. Quiet your heart. Set other thoughts aside. Focus on God. Really focus.
2. Think about who God is. Give Him your sincere adoration.
3. Thank Him for all He has done. If you sing, really think about the words of the song. Make it your ambition to do more than just go through the motions.
4. Ask the Lord to help you see Him for Who He truly is. And to love Him more and more.
5. If a thought not related to worship enters your mind, set it aside.

After all, is worship of our God truly worship if we are only halfway engaged in the act?

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.

For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.” (Psalm 95:1-7 NIV Bible)