Mindful Monday- Read With Full Attention

Help your mind engage and concentrate by actively looking for answers to questions

   

      My reading skills have suffered since I became a consummate multi-tasker. I find myself skimming and barely understanding what I have read. It is quite common that I have to read over the page twice to fully grasp the information. I choose to improve my current reading practice. Looking for questions to answer is one way to keep my mind engaged. 
   Recently I read this passage:

      Ether 3:4

 "And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea."

    The questions I was pondering was how this account could apply to my life. I was looking for  clues that would connect me to these verses. To my delight on a re-read I found that with a few changes I could certainly see how the Lord could work in this same way in my own life.

      "And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch (my life,) O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare (me to see thy handprints) in darkness; and they shall shine forth in my life which thou hast prepared, that I may have light while I shall cross the sea of life."

After each section, stop and think back to your questions. See if you can answer them from memory. If not, take a look back at the text. Do this as often as you need to.

How can this apply to my life is a wonderful question to ask as I read scripture.

When a book is fiction, with a great plot, I can hang onto the story much easier. Still, asking questions helps me see the author's navigational clues. In Susan Meissner's new book, "Stars Over Sunset Boulevard", I continually ask myself how the two main women in the book are like Scarlet and Melanie, characters from "Gone With The Wind". Ms. Meissner is setting her book in Hollywood at the time the block buster movie was made. Audrey and Violet are secretaries on the set. They interact, somewhat, with Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara, as they take notes and memos for the assistants to the director. Keeping track of the parallel story of Audrey and Violet makes my reading more attentive. 

Single-tasking when I read is a goal this week. It is in line with my overall goal of being more mindful.

Stay mindful when you read and never try having a conversation at the same time.

More mindfulness Monday posts here.