Cell Phone

I sat at the car repair shop this morning waiting for the shuttle service that was headed my direction...and there was a man, with a loud voice, talking on His cell phone, sitting in the middle of the arena of waiting customers completely unaware that he was dominating whatever quiet time any of the rest of us had. As it is with cell phone conversations...that are made public.. I know I am guilty of it myself but this morning it brought a whole new awareness of how inconsiderate cell phone conversations are in public. Our business or our coversations with others be it friends, families or business associates should be kept as that..."our" conversations... and should not be forced on those who are not participants in the conversation. I do that to my husband who is riding in the car with me or my children...I am a little more aware answering the phone when I am with friends....but when I do that I am showing a lack of courtesy to those around me. If it is important and a necessary pick up..then a simple excuse me would be good manners...and brevity would be most appreciated in any situation when I am with others. This is somethign that I need to work on....beginning today!

And then I started thinking about my conversations with God...sure there is a time to pray in unity and in unison...but I also think there is a time when our conversations with God should be personal wthout onlookers or listeners. When we take time to talk to God, one on one, be it spoken or in the privacy of our quiet times....it is a posture of respect...it gives him honor that he has our whole undivided attention...and in that one on one, defined time alone, without distractions, we are able to pay more attention to his whispers and allow him to get some of our juggled thougths in His right order.

God chooses when the time is to make his work public and when to keep it private. He works quietly and steadily...and thououghly. But we, on the other hand are constantly bombarded by chatter, by distractions, and by interruptions....and don't always make time to differentiate what should be private from what should be public. It takes a conscious effort to not only make that distinction but to act on it. Public is just that ...it includes others...private is when we initiate a time of solitude. And that time of solitude is when God is able to help us manage our lives...productively and efficiently and successfully. It is our choice to stay in the chaos....or walk away to a quiet, not so abushing enviroment. It is our greatest reward to learn to get away....from the noise and the haste...and find a spot of serenity. For it is in the quiet times with God that he reveals to us His way for our day.

This morning I woke up thinking...I have got a full plate and I don't think I am going to have time to write... you might have thought the same things about a prayer this morning...but when I got home...and considered once again the annoyance of that man chattering on his cell phone...without any consideration of all the others who were around him..and how insignificant his conversation was to all of us who were forced to listen to it...I thought...I do have time...just as I finally walked away from him...I too have to walk away from distractions that I allow to keep me from doing what is worthy.

For me writing is worthy not for my audience...but it aligns me personally with God in the morning...it is my way to invite him to share with me lessons that I will use throughout my day. If one of you happens to come along side that lesson...that is God's doing not mine. Time with the Lord at the beginning of my day is significant...no matter what the rest of the day holds. It gives me a tether line to hold onto. It is personal and a two way converation....yes it is two way becasue when it is quiet and the distractions are blurred out...God takes His opportunity to intervene. He brings to mind ordinary occurrences and shows me not so much how to judge them but how to incorporate them into what I know of His way and His will....and then reflect on them as the day goes on.

I thought this morning ... If God had a cell phone would I want him taking about all that I had told him and confided in Him.... in public...or would I want our conversations to be privately laced with love, stocked with truth, and know that when we are together...he is making a personal commitment to listen to me and lead me according to His will.....and that he values me enough to personally and privately help me manage whatever my situation I have come to him with.

Though I wouldn't mind overhearing a cell phone conversation that someone else is having with God...becasue I know there would always be a nugget of truth that I could use...I can surely do without overhearing the conversations of others that have no value...

Dear Lord, Help me to be more aware and considerate of those who are around me...and when I do speak...let it not be random chatter but worthy conversation that builds relationships and encourages others.....and is seasoned with salt. Amen