Last, Wednesday night, something profound happened, well an accident really, but my new, beautiful iPhone 6 fell in the toilet. Yes, you read that correctly. It slid right out of my pant pocket into the toilet. Funny as it may sound I have been so upset about it. I mean how am I going to wake up in the morning if I don't have an alarm? How can I possibly feel connected without my social media feeds? What if my email inbox explodes? What is the weather going to be? I mean really though, what if the world ends and I missed it?
Seriously, how crazy does that sounds? Do we even realize how much we rely on those little devices? I mean it has become a part of us, and I am no different. Thursday was my first day without a cell phone in years and on top of that we were flying to NYC. Just navigating the airport I felt lost without my mobile device. In that short time alone, I realized I spend my whole day with that little shiny, rectangular device attached to my hand. Seriously though, I mean if it's not there with me I tend to have a panic attack.
But what I've begun thinking about is, why. Why does all of my energy, excitement, and anxiety go toward this one thing that doesn't even have a soul? Do we realize how much time we waste on our marriages, families, friendships, and the community around us, simply by having our noses buried in these devices?
I have really begun evaluating just how much time I spend on my phone simply by watching those around me. Now that I'm without one, I realize just how much others are on them.
I recently read Lara Casey's, Make It Happen, (side note: I'll be sharing lots of little takeaways from the book here in the next few weeks) and let me tell you I had some major conviction about time wasters. One of the things Lara highlights is social media and the practical ways we can set boundaries in order to lead more intentional lives and build stronger relationships.
In reading through Lara's book and listening to a recent sermon from Matt Chandler on women, social media and comparison, I realized I need to take a hold of this problem and really give the reigns back to God. I can't live an intentional life and build flourishing relationships when my face is buried in a phone. I also realize that perfection isn't a reality, but with all the promos I see in my email inbox, the more fashion bloggers I follow, the perfect homes, children and dinners I see, I tend to forget that it's all a facade, it's not always reality, sometimes is it, but most often it isn't.
In reading through Lara's book and listening to a recent sermon from Matt Chandler on women, social media and comparison, I realized I need to take a hold of this problem and really give the reigns back to God. I can't live an intentional life and build flourishing relationships when my face is buried in a phone. I also realize that perfection isn't a reality, but with all the promos I see in my email inbox, the more fashion bloggers I follow, the perfect homes, children and dinners I see, I tend to forget that it's all a facade, it's not always reality, sometimes is it, but most often it isn't.
To be honest it's exhausting. And I need to unplug, put the phone in the other room and re-connect with what matters, the people, the gifts and the talents God has given me!
I won't lie, I'm still eager to get my phone replaced (my old iphone 4 is my temporary replacement, mind you it's not new but at least I'm still mobile) but in the meantime, I feel God working on my heart nudging me to be more intentional with my time and my relationships, even being more proactive and intentional about working toward my dreams. The only thing hindering me from better relationships and a better life for myself and my family is me and what I choose to spend my time and energy on.
I won't lie, I'm still eager to get my phone replaced (my old iphone 4 is my temporary replacement, mind you it's not new but at least I'm still mobile) but in the meantime, I feel God working on my heart nudging me to be more intentional with my time and my relationships, even being more proactive and intentional about working toward my dreams. The only thing hindering me from better relationships and a better life for myself and my family is me and what I choose to spend my time and energy on.
I'm committing this year to be more intentional. To do my best to not spend all my time on my phone, to unplug when I'm with my husband, to put my phone away at dinner and not bring it into our bedroom and to be intentional about taking some social media free weekends.
I know I won't be perfect at it, but the least I can do is try.
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