It was a beautiful, sunny Oklahoma morning. I was on my way to work, making my way down I-40. I had some good music playing. I was enjoying my morning caffeine. All of a sudden, I began to worry that I had left something at home. It was in this moment that I realized I had left my phone at home. Oh No!!! I quickly began to calculate how far I was away from home and if it would even be worth turning around to retrieve my phone. I had gone too far. Turning around would just waste too much time on a day when I had so much to do.
A panic settled into my car as I began to worry about what the day would be like without my phone. The beauty of the day began to fade as I lamented not having it. After all, I do so much on my phone. Would it even be possible to make it an entire day without it?
Once I got over my momentary panic, I realized that I would most likely survive the day without my iPhone. I did not need it to read a book, pray, plan events or the many other things that fill my day. Yet, for a moment, I thought that leaving this little device at my house was going to somehow keep me from being productive or even enjoying the day.
There are so many things that have a possessive power over us. We fear missing out when we are away from our technology, social media or other things that we use throughout the day. Many of these devices help our productivity, but they also take much of our time that could otherwise be spent on connecting with God and God’s people.
As we begin the season of Lent, I want to take a moment to encourage you to put your phones, computers, and tablets away for a significant time each day. I know it is scary. It may cause momentary panic, but trust me, you will make it through the day. Not only will you survive the day, I believe that if you are intentional, you will connect with God in a beautiful way. When we set aside our distraction and focus our energy on connecting with God, we will find a life far more abundant than anything we experience from a phone.
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
