Focus

I got a new phone recently.  I-Phone 16 Plus.  My old phone wouldn’t keep a charge.  It was dropping calls.  And it took forever to get to the ESPN page so that I could check on the scores from the West Coast.  I didn’t want to do it.  I was afraid there would be too much to learn. But I had very little choice.

            I miss the days when the phone hung on the wall in the kitchen. I could leave it behind while I went fishing or to the golf course, and no one was upset that they could not get in touch with me. If something was urgent they left a message on the answering machine, and I would return the call as soon as I got home.

            Computers, tablets, phones and the like are supposed to make our lives easier, and often they do.  If I can remember only a portion of a Bible verse, but I can’t remember where it is in the Bible, all I do is type in the words I do recall in the search box, and within seconds the entire verse and reference appear. 

            Indeed, there are many conveniences to having these electronics in our lives. I can lay in my bed and watch a ballgame on a four-inch screen.  I can speak to someone around the world.  I have all the information I will ever need at the tip of my fingers.

            And yet, computers can also be very frustrating. I’ve told people I prefer a laptop to a desktop because I get better distance with the laptop when I’m mad at it.  I’ve also wondered if I should have been born in 1859 rather than 1959, except I do really enjoy air- conditioning. 

            The truth is that all of our machines can help us, but they also distract us. They grab our attention when we need to be focused on the things that matter most.  God wants us to put Him first in our lives.  He wants us to follow Him, to serve Him, to love Him, and to share His grace with others.  I struggle with that at times, and I imagine you do, too.  Still, there is the call. Take up your cross and follow Jesus. He will never lead you astray.