Awhile back I developed a habit of checking my blackberry first thing every morning. It was also the last thing I did every night. I became addicted to answering every email within minutes as if it could not possibly wait even an hour much less until the next morning.
Worse than me, my husband has two phones: one for work and one for personal use. He checks both all day too. Our kids each have a phone. They have theirs permanently stuck to their hands. Evidently they enjoy the sound of texting 24/7 which sounds like a bunch of tic tacs clicking together and makes me twitch uncontrollably…. but I digress.
We’ve become a generation of technology and mobile devices. My daughter can have her cell phone in one hand, itouch in the other and stare at her computer with the TV on. My husband will watch TV with his computer in his lap, IM me through Facebook while I am in the next room and still manage to monitor email on the two phones beside him. My son will text me from upstairs to ask for a snack. Add in a call on Skype from my daughter away at college and a voice mail from my oldest son and its true techno madness. It’s comical but in the marketing world this generation is now labeled the “connected” generation – instant and consistent connectivity 24/7. And the rest of us follow along for the sake of “keeping up with the times.”
But if we think back about the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were totally and completely connected with our heavenly Father. They could hear the very footsteps of God and communed with him personally every day. Now that’s being connected! Of course we know sin separated them but when Jesus died on the cross, he restored that connection. Now through the Holy Spirit we can have a relationship with the Creator of the universe. Talk about connections!
So as we live our life connected to everyone and everything else every minute of the day, let us not fall into the trap of forgetting to spend time with God. Remember God answers “knee mail”. Sorry I couldn’t resist an over-used, silly expression. God is interested in every detail of our day and connecting with him in every situation will ensure far less mistakes than phoning a friend!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)