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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Where's Your Attention?

This morning I had to reset the notification tone for the calendar on my cell phone.  Why?  Well, since the tone was the same as my default notification tone (which I typically ignore), I was missing the events on my calendar because by the time I checked my phone, it was too late or the event had passed.  Unlike most people, I don't pull out my phone every time it makes a sound, .  Phone call?  Sure, I'll answer. . . most of the time.  Text message?  I get to a stopping place in my current task, then check those.  E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc?  As far as I'm concerned, they can wait.  I'll get to it when I get to it.  This works for me, but some people look at me like I've lost my mind.

"You had a notification on your phone," they say.

"I know," I reply.

"Well, aren't you going to check it?"

"Later, when I have the time."

The look of horror that passes across their faces is unmistakable, not to mention humorous.  These are the same people who are seldom seen without their phone in their hands and/or earphones stuffed in their ears.  They spend time all day long checking e-mail, text messages, Facebook statuses and the like.  It's like an addiction.  When the phone sounds, they respond--and quickly!

It makes me wonder what this world would be like if we all responded to God's promptings the same way or even if we spent the same amount of time with Him as we do with our phones.  Instead of checking Facebook statuses, we check out some of God's promises.  Instead of texting back and forth with a friend in the next room, we spend time in prayer with our Heavenly Father.  And as we do with our phones, what about if we stopped everything and gave God our undivided attention every time He spoke?  It's quite a thought, isn't it?

Technology is great--at least, when it's working properly.  But it can also be a trap.  It can make us busier than ever.  It can steal time from our families and, more importantly, from God.  It can distract us from those things that are truly important, sidetracking our priorities.  Let's be careful not to allow it (or anything else) to become an idol in our lives.  God is God alone, and He deserves our time and attention.

 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. - Exodus 20:3

2 comments:

June said...

I do enjoy your messages and would love to c/p them and then print copies to send friends who don't have computers, but I'm not allowed to do it. In fact I can't pass along anything without giving out all my google info (including friends). Your messages are like the gold in Fort Knox -- VERY well protected. I'll miss reading your posts, but like you, I haven't time to read anything other than the sites that DO allow me to c/p and pass along. For those who are blessed by you, I am grateful. God works in wondrous and diverse ways!

Dana Rongione said...

Oh, June! I'm so sorry to hear you're having such trouble. My intent is not to make it difficult for others to share. In fact, I installed the row of share buttons to make it easier for people to share. To be honest, I didn't realize you had to sign in to send a simple e-mail. If you'll give me a moment, I'll tell you how to share without having to give out any information. First, you can copy the post and paste it in the body of your e-mail or in a Word document to print off. To do this, place your cursor at the beginning of the post, left click on your mouse and hold it down while dragging the cursor to the bottom of the post. When done, hover over the highlighted text and right click the mouse. You should be given the option to copy or print. If you copy, afterwards, place your cursor in the body of your e-mail or on your Word doc and hit "control" and "V" at the same time. Second, you'll notice a tiny little envelope at the bottom of each post, right after it says "Posted by Dana Rongione at 5:00AM" and "Comments." If you'll click that envelope, you can forward the blog to your friends, and all you need to share is the e-mail address where you want the post sent and a prove-you're-not-a-robot code. That's it. In the meantime, I'll look into the sharing button on my newsletter and see if I can't make it more user friendly. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience, and I thank you for bringing this to my attention.