Day 15 - Phone

If you've seen my FB page in the past week, you are probably aware that my Blackberry met a terrible fate last Friday as it was run over by a co-worker's car.  At work, we are still trying to figure out the logistics of all that went down and have concluded that we just don't know how it happened, but it's provided for some entertaining moments.  Several staff members scoured the facility, my car, the parking lot, etc. to help me find it to no avail.  What was more interesting to me was my response to the whole thing ~ as I told them, "It's only a phone and it can be replaced."  While I honestly felt that way, inside there was a mild feeling like I'd lost an appendage!  That morning I'd been praying that I would be more attentive to God's whispers and that I really wanted to hear Him.  We chuckled that He had to take my phone away to get me to pay attention...but I now believe He did use the series of unfortunate events to show me something. 

I have taken various "fasts" over the past several years, everything from Facebook to food.  Most of the time it is not because I am praying and fasting for something, but rather because I want to seek His face and something is getting in the way of that.  I become too engrossed in television, technology, or whatever and it starts to take a place of preeminence in my life.  I find that it becomes a stronghold over me, my thoughts, my time, and my listening skills.  The Blackberry is no exception.  I became acutely aware that I was giving it so much attention that those moments of quiet were virtually non-existent.  Because of my jobs, I've carried a cell phone for over 10 years so that I can be reached at anytime with any issue...before that it was a pager.  However, this 'hiatus' from the phone for 24 hours, coupled with my reading about celebrating a biblical sabbath, has me thinking that I must take time from being accessible to the world to go to the mountain and be alone with Him. 

One of my favorite verses on this subject is 1Corinthians 10:23 ~ All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.  In other words, it's okay for me to have the cell phone, but there comes a point when I have to determine whether the use is building up or tearing down my life.  Now my job is to figure out what that is going to look like in my life and put a permanent plan in place to ensure it is in it's appropriate place!