Interrupted time and attention can be enough

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Morning Session of the October 1989 Conference.

As part of my effort to learn more about revelation and how God speaks to me, I've kept a little journal the last few years where I write God's tender mercies and "the things of my soul." This record of God's goodness to ME, personally, has become so precious to me! I love to write in it and I love to read it. Sometimes I feel like there is almost too much goodness, too much revelation, for me to record! But other times I feel sad because it seems like a long time since I've been able to write anything there. I wonder what has changed; why I'm not feeling as close to God as I have at other times, and if I should be doing something differently.

I'm not discounting the idea that I should. I know there are lots of times when I'm failing to do things that would help me live closer to the spirit. It just seems so hard to keep my mind on the things of God with so many interruptions and errands and immediate needs. I sometimes wonder if I will ever be able to stay focused on anything for more than a few minutes! There are so many times when I truly need God's help but I'm just…too busy or distracted to remember to ask Him!

Anyway, I was comforted to read this from Elder Packer:

Things of the Spirit need not—indeed, should not—require our uninterrupted time and attention. Ordinary work-a-day things occupy most of our attention. And that is as it should be. We are mortal beings living in this physical world. 

Spiritual things are like leavening. By measure they may be very small, but by influence they affect all that we do. Continuing revelation is fundamental to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know there has to be a balance. Sister Craig gave that great talk recently about carving out time to be still and listen for God, and I do seek and crave that focused time. I am always wishing it could be longer and deeper and less interrupted! But Elder Packer makes it sound here like everyone feels this way, and that even my small amounts of focus and my tiny glimpses of revelation could spread out and be enough to "leaven" my whole life into a worthwhile offering. That's encouraging to me.

I've also been thinking about the role of covenants in all this—the fact that our covenants tie us to the Savior in this special way that almost seems like it's giving Him permission to intervene in our lives even when we forget or are too distracted to ask. I like to think of it that way, anyway—that my covenants are an umbrella putting me under God's protection even during all those times my attention is drawn away from Him. My hope is that the power of those covenants will draw me back to Jesus Christ and give Him just enough influence to get my attention when, through laziness or carelessness or just busy-ness, I start to drift away.

Other posts in this series:

Revelation: Two talks with two themes—by Nathaniel Givens

This is the church of Jesus Christ—by Jan Tolman