The number 7575 appeared small at first on the screen at the side of the auditorium. Somewhere in the room were parents with a sticker bearing that same number, those digits representing a precious little life that they had dropped off in childcare who now was having no part of this Sunday morning atmosphere. Parents of child 7575 needed to get to their child and settle him or her down.
As a bearer of four such stickers, my wife and I checked our numbers to see if this could be any of our little angels and were relieved that it was someone else's kid. After a minute or so the number faded from the screen and my attention was now diverted back to the worship service at hand. However, before the words to the next worship song came back on, the side screen went black again and 7575 came up again but this time in huge numbers,
as if to scream to the parents in the room, "Child number 7575 needs you to come, RIGHT NOW!"
Apparently mom and dad missed the first display but there was no way they would miss the second one. Perhaps they weren't paying attention or they were too focused on the large screen in front to see their number being flashed on the side screens. Maybe they thought it was for someone and thus neglected to check their sticker. But their child was not going to wait and apparently neither were the childcare workers.
There are a lot of things that can distract us. We got stuck behind a car yesterday with a driver who was determined to send as many texts as he could while driving. He was weaving across the center line and was un-speeding at 10 mph below the limit, so completely distracted by what I am sure was a most urgent conversation. I thought about laying on the horn to wake him up from his technology induced coma but decided against it.
What is it that gets your attention? How often does someone need to call your name or try to flag you down before you notice that you are needed? I see the frustration on the faces of my own children when they are so desperately trying to communicate with me while I am busy with something else. As a father, I have to work extra hard to not be so distracted with other life issues that I miss out on sharing moments with my own children.
As I type these words I have music playing on my laptop, there is background noise as my two youngest children are watching educational shows, and I keep opening my email as new messages pop into the inbox. It's taken me a long time to get these thoughts recorded because I am so distracted, but I typically do not realize just how distracted I am until I take the time to process it.
I have trouble focusing and listening to God at times because I am so distracted. It's not enough to set aside times of the day for intentional quiet times. What we force into our brains via our eyes and ears on a daily basis is constantly regurgitated into our thoughts and before we know it we are focusing on anything but our precious Lord.
What we pay attention to most is what we consider of the utmost importance in our lives. Last night I watched some of the Grammy awards on television and was shocked to see so many people sitting down and texting on their phones when others around them were standing in applause in honor of those accepting awards. In my own life I find myself too consumed with technology and entertainment and I see that beginning to rub off and have an effect on my own children.
When we are so distracted we miss opportunities that God places all around us. Relationships suffer, chances to minister get wasted, people fall through the cracks, God gets ignored. It's time for many of us (myself included) to unplug and pay attention.
As a bearer of four such stickers, my wife and I checked our numbers to see if this could be any of our little angels and were relieved that it was someone else's kid. After a minute or so the number faded from the screen and my attention was now diverted back to the worship service at hand. However, before the words to the next worship song came back on, the side screen went black again and 7575 came up again but this time in huge numbers,
7575
as if to scream to the parents in the room, "Child number 7575 needs you to come, RIGHT NOW!"
Apparently mom and dad missed the first display but there was no way they would miss the second one. Perhaps they weren't paying attention or they were too focused on the large screen in front to see their number being flashed on the side screens. Maybe they thought it was for someone and thus neglected to check their sticker. But their child was not going to wait and apparently neither were the childcare workers.
There are a lot of things that can distract us. We got stuck behind a car yesterday with a driver who was determined to send as many texts as he could while driving. He was weaving across the center line and was un-speeding at 10 mph below the limit, so completely distracted by what I am sure was a most urgent conversation. I thought about laying on the horn to wake him up from his technology induced coma but decided against it.
What is it that gets your attention? How often does someone need to call your name or try to flag you down before you notice that you are needed? I see the frustration on the faces of my own children when they are so desperately trying to communicate with me while I am busy with something else. As a father, I have to work extra hard to not be so distracted with other life issues that I miss out on sharing moments with my own children.
As I type these words I have music playing on my laptop, there is background noise as my two youngest children are watching educational shows, and I keep opening my email as new messages pop into the inbox. It's taken me a long time to get these thoughts recorded because I am so distracted, but I typically do not realize just how distracted I am until I take the time to process it.
I have trouble focusing and listening to God at times because I am so distracted. It's not enough to set aside times of the day for intentional quiet times. What we force into our brains via our eyes and ears on a daily basis is constantly regurgitated into our thoughts and before we know it we are focusing on anything but our precious Lord.
What we pay attention to most is what we consider of the utmost importance in our lives. Last night I watched some of the Grammy awards on television and was shocked to see so many people sitting down and texting on their phones when others around them were standing in applause in honor of those accepting awards. In my own life I find myself too consumed with technology and entertainment and I see that beginning to rub off and have an effect on my own children.
When we are so distracted we miss opportunities that God places all around us. Relationships suffer, chances to minister get wasted, people fall through the cracks, God gets ignored. It's time for many of us (myself included) to unplug and pay attention.
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