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Day 5: OTHER
“You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3-5).
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul
and with all your mind" (Mathew 22:37, NIV).
I would like to think that I have no other gods before God
and that I love Him with all my heart, soul, and mind. However, how I live my life, especially when
I am thrown into an unexpected situation, can reveal otherwise.
My phone died on me last night. It just shut down completely. I hate to admit that when I woke up this
morning, I dreaded getting out of bed. I
do not recall the last time I felt that way.
I thought about my phone charging in my living room, and my heart sank
at the thought of facing the reality that it was completely dead. I went in and out of a slump most of the day
today. I felt so lost and incomplete
without my phone.
All day long I was reminded of other gods that threaten to
push God away from being my number ONE. I
would like to think I have no other gods… but this phone incident tells me
otherwise.
My phone has become my world. It held my schedule. It had my
contacts (connection to others). It had
my passwords. It had my apps. I used it
for everything. All of that is not bad
by itself, but the fact that I had to grieve the loss of my phone was a red
flag it might be my other god.
Day 6: NOTICE
Yesterday, I talked about my phone dying. Sadly, I will not be getting my phone until
Wednesday. At first, I was a little annoyed, but after going two days without
my phone, what’s three more days? In a
way, I am thankful this happened to me. It is freeing not to have my phone. One of the benefits of not having it with me
is being able to notice things.
I noticed just how bald the trees in our driveway were
getting.
I noticed the people walking around me in the supermarket,
and even made eye contact and smiled.
They probably thought I was a wierdo.
Most importantly, I noticed a woman a woman who sat a few
seats from me during worship service. I
recognized her as a parent from a school I used to work for. I have prayed for her and her children before,
even though she didn’t know me. She was
a face I saw daily at school. I saw her children
in school.
Normally, in between services and in between worship songs
and the sermon, I’d be messing with my phone (don’t judge… I have judged myself
enough). This time, I was just sitting
there, waiting and taking in everything around me. And I noticed when she walked in by herself,
without her children or anyone else. I also
noticed a nudging inside that told me to talk to her. I prayed for a clear direction as I sat there
listening to the sermon.
After service, I courageously came up to her and we chatted. I invited her to our monthly women’s
brunch. I knew that she was a hard-working
mother to three children and wanted to bless her with time with other
women. I will continue to pray for her
regularly and pray for more encounters.
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