Distractions

So, the other day my kids taught me the greatest lesson every person should. . .hold on, my phone just beeped.  My husband text me ‘good morning’; he is the sweetest guy I know.  Anyways, back to what my kids taught me; we headed out to the grocery store to pick up a few items. . .hold on, I just got a pop-up from Facebook.  My friend just posted the cutest picture of her on vacation with her husband.  I just love looking at photos of fun times on Facebook.  Okay, so we finally made it to the grocery store after construction traffic and hitting every stop light known to man.  My patience began wearing thin. . .wait a second, my IPad just alerted me to an email.  Some company wants me to buy the latest product.  I have no idea how all these places get my email address.  Back to my story, we battled the normal fights of who gets out of which side of the van, who locks the van and who pushes the cart.  Finally, we could begin our mission and check off our list of groceries.  Then, the lesson came. . .oh, what now?  My phone is ringing.  It was work needing help today.   Where was I with this posting?  Oh, I forget.

Beeps, pop-ups, alerts and rings consume our days.  Is all this technology a good thing?  We can reach thousands of people with just a click, text a quick message to a friend, plan a vacation in seconds with a great search engine, buy anything desired while sitting in our pajamas at home and email a special note rather than snail mail.  Yes, benefits come with technology and knowledge.  BUT, so does stress, stolen joy, missed opportunities, lessons lost and busy minds.  Take my opening for example. . .the greatest lesson I learned could not be shared because of distractions from technology.  Had those not be there, I could remember and share it with others.

I people watch.  What I see. . .heads down, fingers going to town on smartphones, people mesmerized by IPad screens, blue tooth devices helping people talk and walk, etc.  What happened to sitting on the front porch in a rocker and having a conversation in person?  All while watching the sunset turn various colors.  What about sitting around a campfire talking about anything that comes to mind?  What about sitting together as a family to eat your evening meal?  I am just as guilty as the next person.  Admittedly, I have text while driving, sat poolside scanning through Facebook while my kids kept begging me to watch them or talked on the phone while I should be engaging in conversation with my husband.  I only hurt myself and miss out on relationships, joy, growth and love.  God intended for us to have true, real relationships with one another and the world bombards us with distractions.  What can we do about this?

Well, join me in shoving away the phones, IPads and laptops and drive over to a friend’s house, go play with the kids, have a date with a loved one or just sit in quiet with God.  DO THIS DAILY!  I feel the most loved, the most fulfilled when I just sit and talk with someone.  I love to talk with people and share stories in person.  I love to sit with God and take in His Creation (sunsets, animals in the wild, country land, etc.).  Let us get back to what truly matters in life.  Let us not do as the world does.  Let us love one another without distraction.

Now, I must go spend the day with my family. . .

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.