Multitasking

Tom Barnard

 

“This one thing I do….”

(Philippians 3:13b)

 

Multitasking is a noun born in the computer age. It is defined as “the concurrent performance of several jobs by a computer—the performance of multiple tasks at one time.” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) It is a term used interchangeably with “multiprocessing.” May I borrow the term for personal application? May I apply it to myself? One of the things I have learned about myself as I grow older is that I don’t do multitasks very well. (My family would argue that I was never very good at it, even in my “prime.”) If I were to deny it, my wife would ask, “Have you looked in your garage lately?” I don’t deny it. I have learned that it is best for me to tackle one job at a time. Take this week, for example. There were two publications to create and send (this being one of them), a ministers’ breakfast to attend, trick-or-treaters on Tuesday, a mid-week sermon to prepare and give, a wedding rehearsal and a wedding to officiate, a charity auction to attend, and a Sunday school lesson to write. If I had tried to get them all done on Monday, I would be a basket case now. No, I have found that living one day at a time, one hour at a time, one task at a time—chronologically—works best for me. What about you? Has this been a week when tasks seemed to pile up on you all at once? How did you handle them? Not very well? Here’s a prayer for you.

 

Heavenly Father, this has been a stressful week. I am probably at fault—I took on more than I should have agreed to do. But at the time … well, at the time I thought it would be a breeze. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been fulfilling. Thank you for joining me in my work. Thank you for allowing me to lean on you. Thank you for going ahead of me, preparing me for the tasks that were ahead of me. Thank you for helping those affected by my tight schedule to be patient and loving toward me. Thank you for letting younger people understand my limitations. As I come to Friday, I am so glad I spent the week with you. Thank you for the insights you have given me from your Word. Thank you for loving me every step of the way. I believe I can make it through to Sunday. Amen.