My cell phone died on me last week. I can’t believe how much trouble it’s caused. I have a home phone, but most people don’t even know the number. And I’m not listed in the phone book, because I’m not a Windstream customer.
Very few people email these days. We rely on texting and messaging. I never synced my computer and phone, so I can’t get texts on my computer.
I’ve had to go back to using my alarm clock instead of my phone’s alarm, and carrying my iPod shuffle while walking instead of listening to downloaded music on my phone. I have to check the clock before I leave home and after I return to see if I kept up my walking pace.
And I have to fire up my laptop to check my Google calendar instead of grabbing my phone. I haven’t written anything on a physical calendar in years. I’m starting to rethink that.
I’m so glad I have a laptop, alarm clock, iPod shuffle, and home phone now that my cell’s down for the count.
In light of the major traumas of the past two months (Mom’s life-threatening car accident and my daughter’s volleyball season-ending knee injury in August), my cellphone’s demise is hardly a crisis. But it is monstrously inconvenient. I never realized how dependent I am on it.
Now, I’ve carried on quite nicely without it. I’ve just had to use old devices that, mercifully, function well. There’s a lesson here. Things can be replaced, which begs the question, What can’t be replaced?
Relationships, for one. I mean, we can make new friends, but they don’t replace old ones. When we lose loved ones, no one ever really takes their place. Babies are precious gifts from God, but you won’t have the same relationship you had with your grandma or mom.
There’s no substitute for face-to-face time with people. And after the crises I’ve survived since August, I assure you I value time with my Mom and daughter more than ever.
Maybe a face popped into your mind while you read this. Call that person and schedule lunch. Work intentionally toward strengthening that irreplaceable relationship. You’ll be happier for it.
And if God convicts you that you spend more time on your phone than with him, resolve to change that, too. Schedule time with God every day. You’ll definitely feel more content and peaceful if you do. Your relationship with God, or lack thereof, defines your life.
I hope you spend the three or four hours I’ll waste buying a new cellphone this week with loved ones and with God.
Blessings!