My wife and I were out to dinner recently and we noticed something that has become increasingly common. We were seated in a booth and there was a family of four at a table not far from us. It was a dad, mom, and two sons. The sons looked to be around 12 or 14 years of age. And all four were engaged in the same thing.
All four had their phones out. By the speed with which their fingers and thumbs moved, I’m pretty sure two of them were texting though not with each other. One was playing a game and the other was looking at emails. What they were not doing is talking or even looking at one another. They were all at the same table but they could have been in four different cities and it wouldn’t have been any different.
That’s not unusual these days. I’m sure I’m guilty of it myself occasionally. We get so absorbed in what’s on our screens that the rest of the world kind of vanishes. When we do that, we miss so many chances to be with each other and even to be with God. Even though we’re surrounded by others, it’s too easy to actually be very alone.
We often talk about our Lenten journey – the idea that we are walking and working spiritually to follow Christ. But to do that, we have to be fully present not only with Christ but with each other. I can’t share my spiritual journey without letting Christ be present each step of the way. Almost as importantly is my being present with those around me. I can’t do that if my head is always buried in my phone screen or any of a hundred different distractions.
To truly walk with Christ or with anyone means that at least sometimes, I have to put down my phone, put down whatever it is I am doing, and simply be with someone. Not by simply sitting at the same table while continuing to play Candy Crush but by listening and sharing and speaking with the people I am with.
Our spiritual journeys, like most journeys, will have their ups and downs. And often it will be in those ups and downs, that we find God. Or maybe the better way to put it, is that God can find us. As we journey through this Lenten season, may God find us and may we actually be ready to be found. There is so much to experience and to celebrate when we look up and see how God and God’s people are taking part in our lives.
So on our Lenten journeys, may we look up and see the people we are with. Even more so, may we see where Christ is and see where that leads us.
Yours in Christ,
Ted McCulloch
Stated Clerk
