How many times do you check Twitter? What about Facebook? Don't forget Instagram. Like Pavlov's dog we are being trained with beeps, buzzes, and indicator notices on our phones. A Harvard Business Review article points to the value in delayed gratification, a concept that might seem foreign to many of us. Ed Batista from the Stanford Graduate School of Business writes, "Not only are we constantly interrupted by alerts, alarms, beeps, and buzzes that tell us some new information has arrived, we constantly interrupt ourselves to seek out new information."

But Batista also warns that external forces want to distract us. He claims that "trillion-dollar industries are dedicating some of their brightest minds and untold resources to come up with newer and better ways" to grab your attention and divert it to something else.

Possible Preaching Angle:

No wonder it's so hard to pray and listen to God. Then again, maybe it's time to put away that Smartphone, tablet, or TV.

Source:

Ed Batista, “The Marshmallow Test for Grownups,” Harvard Business Review (9-15-14)