Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Derrick Porter each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given Sunday, July 26, 2026. This week is No. 5,054 of the broadcast.
Please note: Reservations are needed to attend “Music & the Spoken Word” in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Find out more about how to make reservations here.
Some time ago, I was visiting with a friend who has a very demanding schedule, filled with constant pressures requiring his attention. I asked how he managed his time, how he accomplished all he did each day, and how he made room for the things that were most important in his life.
Without hesitation, he responded, “Eliminate distractions.”
When you think about it, distractions are everywhere. From relentless notifications to constant news and media, these and countless other enticements can occupy far more of our time than they deserve. Without realizing it, we can be lulled away from what matters most, becoming distracted by things that may feel significant but are ultimately of little consequence.
One of the secrets to this man’s success is his understanding that when we eliminate distractions, we make room for the most important things to happen. As we conscientiously say “no” to distractions, we really are saying “yes” to the things — and the people — that matter most.
A busy father, following a quiet impression to simplify, decided one evening to stay home, declining an obligation he had planned to attend. For much of the evening, he was alone and wondered if he had made the right choice. But then, one of his children approached him and hesitantly asked if they might talk. And talk they did — about things that mattered — things that were important. In that quiet moment, a conversation unfolded, trust deepened and a relationship was strengthened — something that might never have happened had his time been spent elsewhere.
As we strive to decrease the daily drumroll of distractions, we do our part to ensure that God can more easily communicate with us. He will not compete with the bustle and glitter of outside influences. Instead, He patiently waits for us to make time for Him — to choose Him. As we do, we hear His voice more clearly, feel His presence more fully, and recognize His hand more readily in our lives.
As religious leader President Ezra Taft Benson once said, “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.” (See “The Great Commandment — Love the Lord,” President Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1988, page 4.)
When we seek to eliminate distractions, the time we reclaim becomes sacred — making room for the things that matter most.
Tuning in …
The “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL News Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirecTV, SiriusXM (Ch. 143), tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoir and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time on these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedules.
