These days I find myself online a lot, and when I say a lot I mean A LOT! With wifi from cell phones, I can be plugged in 24-7. My husband says I have an IV hookup to the internet.
What started as a habit has over time become, dare I say it, maybe even an addiction. I’m always checking the latest postings on Facebook, tweets on twitter, e-mails, and LinkedIn updates. Not to mention homes for sale, the latest sale at Coldwater Creek or the LOFT. There’s endless things I can do and look up!
But my addiction really hit me over the Christmas season when family was home and I found myself physically present with them, but forgoing interaction to surf the net and check on Facebook to see what a ‘friend’ that I haven’t physically seen for six years was posting.
My kids had made special arrangements to be here, spend time with us, and I was absorbed in my iPad. I think we all can relate. I’m sure we’ve all felt devalued by someone we were visiting or talking with because it seemed they were more interested in their phone than chatting face to face. I see it everywhere, in restaurants where families sit silently staring at cell phones instead of engaging in conversation, or before and sometimes during meetings where colleagues and friends sit glaring at hand held screens. It makes you want to say, ‘Yoohoo, I’m here, am I not important enough to talk to or listen to?’
When I think about it, I’m really kind of a poor example of Jesus in that respect. Jesus was and is always fully present. He’s not distracted by other things. He noticed the guy that climbed the tree to get a look at Him (Luke 19). He even knew when a woman touched the hem of his coat ( Matt. 9). He didn’t only know, He was fully present, stopped and entered into conversation. I think it’s because he had His cell phone put away:). He lived totally in the moment.
I’m going to ask Jesus to help me be more like Him and I’m going to try to be more like Him; I’m going to make sure I put my iPad and phone away when I’m with someone. I’m going to look more attentively to someone who might be reaching out in a seemingly minor way or crossing my path because they may need to spend some time talking. I’m going to try to live fully in the moment.
Related articles
- Study Finds Cell Phone Addiction Similar To Compulsive Buying And Credit Card Misuse (medicalnewstoday.com)
- Why We Just Can’t Put Our Phones Down (huffingtonpost.com)
- Cell Phone Addiction May Be Contagious (fox8.com)
Faithpondering 
Great post! We should all be challenged to put down the electronics and pick up the Word of God or a prayer journal. We were created to be in relationship with the Lord and with others. It is hard to cultivate those relationships if we don’t unplug long enough to have a face to face conversation.
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Shelly, thanks for your thoughts! I love technology, but just like every good thing – too much of it can be harmful.
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