A Cure for Cell Phone Addiction


Ok, I am hooked. I came to this realization one evening this week. I have this routine. I did not realize this until I started giving this some serious thought. But my routine goes something like this.

I leave work and phone John immediately to tell him I am on my way home and ask what’s for supper. As soon as this is accomplished I begin to run down my mental list to see who I can call and talk to on my way home. Mind you, it is only a 15 minute drive, but for some reason I think I must be on the phone talking to someone. On this particular day I surmise that Jackie is still at work, Shannon has too many sick children for me to bother her.George would still be at work, and Mike and Peggy are too busy, and I call them too much. (I think it was two days ago I decided I was not going to call them anymore because I was always interrupting something. Two days and it is killing me.) So, bottom line, I did not have any one to call. Then it hit me. I am addicted. Why do I have to do this everyday, as soon as I leave work? It is not like the conversations are that important. In fact, they are usually the same.
Typical examples below…

MY Questions Their Answers
Hey, what are you doing? Driving, cooking, cleaning etc.
How was your day? Fine
Anything exciting happen? No, not really
What are you doing tonight? Nothing special

Their Questions My Answers
How was your day? Ok, or long and boring. Depending
What are you going to do tonight? Watch TV - what else.

These usually last less than two minutes, and then I am trying to think of the next person to call. Are your conversations like this? I mean really why do we bother with the short meaningless conversations and why can’t I wait until I have something legitimate and meaningful to say? As I was mulling this over in my mind, it struck me… If I feel the need to fill that 15 minute drive with conversing, why not to God. I know he wants to hear from me. I don’t think I would be interrupting anything. Maybe it would go like this.

ME: Hey God, what are you doing?
GOD: Watching over the universe and all those I love.
ME: Do you have time to talk a minute?
GOD: Always!
ME: How was your day?
GOD: I would rather you told me about yours.
ME: Oh really, Well it was ok; I messed up a few times. It was really long, and a little
boring.
GOD: What did you do with that long, boring day?
ME: What do you mean?
GOD: Did you think of me? Did you call my name? I would have been there if you called me. We could have talked and maybe you would have remembered how much joy you can have and been thankful for the slow time.
Me: You’re right. It was nice to have a slower day for a change, and I am pretty blessed.
GOD: Did anything exciting happen to you today?
ME: No, not really. What about you?
GOD: Oh yes, always! But I did wonder about that one time today when you could have told your coworker, you know the one that is hurting, about me and you didn’t. Why?
Me: I don’t know. Fear I guess.
GOD: We have talked about this before. You have nothing to fear. I am here for you always. And it would have made your day exciting.
ME: Ok, I am going to call YOU more often.
GOD: Good. What are you going to do tonight?
ME: I don’t know. Watch TV probably. Hopefully there will be a good movie on.
GOD: Well, maybe you can call me again tonight and we can read my word together.
ME: OK, but can it be after Grey’s Anatomy?
GOD: Dana, Dana, Dana.
ME: I know, I know, just kidding. I love you God, and thanks for being there for me whenever I need to talk.
GOD: I love you too.


Ok, of course the above was just for fun, with a little truth mixed in. And I certainly don’t mean to put down the conversations I have with my family and friends. They are important. But sometimes I find myself just trying to fill time. I need to learn to relax and enjoy the quiet more and yes, spend more time in conversation with God. We have this thing we do in my family - Me, the kids, grandkids and John. When one says I love you, we go back and forth with, I love you more, no… I love you to infinity and beyond. Etc. I can’t imagine this with GOD. I can tell him how much I love him, but I can’t top how much he loves me. He loves me so much that His Son died for me.
So, next time I go to pick up that cell phone, just because I think I have to be on it to get from point A to point B, I think I will put it down and call the Lord instead.

"What would you do for God if you knew you couldn't fail? "

This is the question we found on a little card in our church bulletin this Sunday morning.

Interesting question.

Even before our Pastor began to speak I was intrigued with the question, my mind wandering all over the place. Of course I wanted parameters established and I was hoping he would do so during the course of the sermon. You know like...what would you do for God in your small group if you knew you couldn't fail, or on your job, or in your relationship with a friend or spouse? I wasn't let off the hook so easy... It was left wide open. WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR GOD IF YOU KNEW YOU COULDN'T FAIL?

I am conjuring up all kinds of scenarios now.

Are we talking big things here, or can I scale it down to just for today, like committing to do my quiet time for one full hour.

What about my promise to Him that I make every morning... not to engage in any gossip, even for the sake of "SHARING"?

Or, I will not be envious of one person today, but be content to be my size ??.

I could go on and on about the promises I make to Him every day and fail most days. But, after really pondering this... Which is what my Pastor asked us to do. I realized that the things listed above are not really for Him. Those are things God wants for me to do for me. I am the one richly blessed in following these promises.

I have for sometime now thought that God wanted me to do something BIG. A mission trip, write a book, speak to women's groups, open up a center for women that have been through so much they think they can't get up and face another day. The Lord has brought me through so much, and I know and have known for some time now, that the struggles I have faced were part of the make up and preparation for the "Big Thing" I should do and would want to do for God.

So what is the thing? I don't know. So for now, I will do my best to remain faithful to His will for my life one day at a time, walk through the doors he opens, and seek discernment to close the doors not opened by Him. Also, I am coming to realize what BIG just might mean to God. It could be my mission trip might be to the local nursing home to visit one lonely senior citizen. My book, might just be my prayer journal. My women's group might just be one woman who needs to hear what God did for me and can do for her. My women's center might just be helping a single mom with a few groceries. God, I believe, will be pretty happy with these things, if done for Him.
As I seek to ponder the question presented in the beginning, I will also pray that God reveals to me what it is I need to step out on faith in, knowing it won't fail.

One more note. This question provided great conversation with John over lunch today. I love it when you leave church and take something with you like this. We were truly blessed today. Great worship, Great preaching. Although my pastor has been speaking directly to me for the last several weeks and he can quit anytime now.