Happy Wednesday, TSJ Peeps!
Recently we received a card from one of our dearest of friends that had the above quote on it. And every time I read this popular quote I find it worth stopping for a moment and saying a quiet, “Whew. Thanks for the reminder.”
So for today’s blog, I put it together with a picture another friend had sent a couple of years ago. I chose this picture for its clarity. But it is coming to you a bit late because it took me time to construct it. And I was only able to do that by following carefully the step-by-step directions yet another friend had given me.
You see, friends and family are the golden threads in our lives and worthy of investing our time and energy.
Yet we are so often prone to becoming victims of compromise. We become a bit sloppy in maintaing our relationships with each other, with God and even ourselves!
Really. We are constantly pulled by distractions and expectations. We are driven by perfection. We try to do too many things at once. And we are becoming increasingly anxious people, chronically tired, searching endlessly for happiness, putting on tremendously attractive masks to make things look good and easy.
We lean heavily on our objects of desire (homes, cars, clothes, hair styles, degrees, titles etc.) for satisfaction and on our devices for security.
We are all human. And this blog is not a rant. It is honest sharing of the journey of us peeps seeking wisdom.
Solomon tries to point us to the enduring kind of wisdom that brings us peace and is worthy to pass on to our children.
Today’ Story: A Dead Cell Phone and A Clear Reminder
Perhaps I should have titled this a “wake up call.” But that sounds more dramatic than I intend. Yet, we hear clock alarms go off every morning as our wake-up call for the day. It jars us out of sleep.
When we are unaware it is almost like a sleep. I had gradually become unaware.
On Saturday evening I was sending out my last text of the day to a friend. Just before I pressed the send button, my iPhone 5 sent me a weird message of its own. Squiggly lines and then a black screen. It quit.
I was unnerved and unhappy. Too weary for this nonsense.
I contacted a couple of family members with iPhones and followed their directions. No luck. A trip to the Apple Store ensued and a few days of waiting were part of the plan, I guess.
I was disturbed by how disturbed I was! It was as clear as the picture above that I am significantly dependent on my devices.
Yes, I am have grown dependent on my devices, especially that phone. Ugh. I need them for connection and security. Another ugh. Not all bad, mind you. But worthy of a reminder!
Tom got it for me in December of 2012 as he was going in for liver surgery at that time and I needed a reliable way to stay in touch with family and friends.
More recently, I depend on it to be able to call him if he is not well but does not need someone there all the time. Also, I make calls to folks while I drive. Seems like a time saver.
The wisdom message, however, defies all rationalization. It is a matter of paying attention to illusions we depend on for our security.
Our brain is the great deceiver. We can rationalize anything. We must be on guard.
Solomon has mentioned before that he has concern about SJ texting, so he was rather thankful to use my anxiety as a lesson for SJ.
Jeremiah, an ancient biblical prophet warned us. Prophets are rarely well liked. We do not like warnings. But their reminders and warnings can prevent really hard wake-up calls. Here is my paraphrase of his message from God to his people (Jeremiah 2:12-13) …. “For my people…have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.”
Solomon says to pay attention to all relationships with love and commitment. Devices are like cracked cisterns. Ultimately they cannot hold the water needed for our souls.
Happy Shepherding!
