Distracted by the screens

The most recent issue of America magazine has an article by Thomas Massaro describing a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study that shows that Americans between 8 and 18 are in front of a screen (TV, computer, smart phone, etc) for more than 7 1/2 hours a day. While this survey only focuses on kids, I would imagine that the numbers for adults are just as high, if not higher. Many of us use a computer most of the time that we are at work, check our Blackberries on the commute home, and then get home and turn on the TV to relax. I'm staring at a screen as I write this; you are staring at one as you read it. I have even started reading books on an e-reader!

I'm not making a social commentary on this phenomenon, but it did cause me to think about how I use my own time. When I have an extra half hour, what do I do? I usually turn on the TV, or surf the web. Then at the end of the day, I say that I didn't have enough time to devote to prayer, or to just quietly listening to God. Is it that I don't have the time, or that I surrounded myself with so many distractions that I didn't see the time?

As we move toward Holy Week and Easter, where are the opportunities during our day to spend a moment with God?
~Lauren G