The family caught my attention as we sat eating in an area restaurant. They were very nice looking and reminded me of the all-American family. Mom and Dad, along with children who appeared to be teenagers.
Of course, most restaurants are filled with families who fit this description and while I love to people-watch…I don’t often get fixated on one particular table. I did on this day though. It wasn’t because they were doing something unusual, because unfortunately they weren’t…they were doing what has become “normal”…but it still bothered me .
There they were, waiting on their food to come…each glued to their phone. None of them spoke…none of them looked at anyone else…none of them interacted with anyone but the server. When their food arrived, they did put their phones down to eat, but still no conversations were started. It appeared that their sole purpose was to scarf down their meal as fast as they could so they could resume their scrolling. I’ll be honest…I found it very sad. There they were with a perfect opportunity to converse and connect with each other…to learn more about each other…but they found their mobile device to be more important.
But as I caught myself condemning this family in my mind later that day…I realized that while I was pointing a finger at them…I had four more fingers pointing back at me. I recognized that this scenario isn’t much different than my behavior at times when I sit down with my Jesus to hopefully “consume” His Word. How often do I let my mind wander while I’m supposed to be reading and listening? How many times do I think it’s important to just do a quick check of Facebook or Instagram, but before I know it my scrolling has taken up my time? I have a perfect opportunity to converse and connect with my Savior and to learn more about Him…but I find my mobile device or computer more important. No wonder there are times I feel irritated and overwhelmed.
OUCH. I wonder how that makes my Heavenly Father feel, when many other things take precedence over my time with Him. I wonder if He shakes His head…wanting to remind me that His blood was shed for me…but yet I can’t “sacrifice” some undivided time to spend with Him. He longs to be with me. He yearns to teach me how to live so I will look more and more like Him. But it is my decision as to whether or not I take advantage of His desire to spend time with me. He won’t force me to make the right decision…but I do know that He will always be waiting patiently for me. Why? Because He loves me that much.
He loves you that much too. So, the question then becomes, “Will you and I accept His offer to spend some uninterrupted, undivided time with Him this week?” I sure hope so…because if the King of Kings and Lord of Lords wants to meet with us…why in the world would we say no?
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