“I don’t think we
realize how fast we go until you stop for a minute and realize just how loud
and how hectic your life is, and how easily distracted you can get.” ~Meg
Ryan (Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra), American actress and producer (b1961)
It was a quiet Wednesday evening. Teresa returned home from work and prepared a
simple meal of spaghetti with red sauce and meatballs, a side salad and bread.
It was a meal which harkened back to her childhood.
Every Sunday, her father (a first generation
Italian coal miner) prepared the same meal for the family. It was their
tradition to go to Mass and then return home for spaghetti, meatballs, rustic
homemade bread, and lettuce salad. These dishes brought back fond memories.
We sat at our dining table looking out a
pair of double doors into our back yard. Teresa loves the back yard. It gives
her a sense of peace and calm. So there we sat, enjoying each other’s company,
savoring a simple meal while gazing at God’s creation.
Without warning the strains of an
electronic tune came from nowhere. It drifted in between the words of our
conversation. After a moment or so, I realized Teresa’s cell phone had erupted
from inside her purse which was sitting in the front hall. To my surprise,
Teresa continued with our conversation without even acknowledging the
electronic interruption. The noise stopped.
Moments later the phone erupted again.
Though it was impossible, it seemed more insistent this time. The noise brought
the statement I was making to a halt, but Teresa remained focused on me. Again,
the noise stopped.
I searched Teresa’s face for some
recognition that her phone had been ringing. There was none. Our pleasant meal
and conversation continued uninterrupted, though I had to admit my curiosity
was now piqued. Who was calling at
dinner time?
We finished dinner and were enjoying a cup
of tea when the electronic noise resumed. “Aren’t you going to get that?” I
asked. “No,” Teresa replied simply. “Whoever it is, I can call them back
later.”
“But what if it’s important?” I responded.
“They’ve called three times.”
“Right now I’m having dinner with my
husband,” she said with a smile. “What could be more important than that?”
According to Webster's Dictionary, the
word distracted means, “drawn apart; drawn in different directions; diverted
from its object.” The devil doesn’t need to convince us he is right. All he
really needs to do is draw our attention from God -- to distract us.
Modern culture has cultivated the
fundamental fear in us that we might miss something important in life, the fear
that we may not be as “up to date” or “in the know” as we should be. Take for
example the television commercial in which people are ridiculed for not being
up to date with the phrase: “Oh, that’s so 27 seconds ago.”
We have become a society where an
electronic device, and what it represents, can distract us from our spouse, our
children, our grandchildren, our friends, driving a vehicle (or a train) at
high speeds, or from our Creator.
Certainly there are times when we need to
just get things done, and multi-tasking may be the best way to accomplish that.
But being a good steward of our time does mean compressing as many activities
into a given time frame as possible, nor being current and “up to the second”
on everything. Rather, it means focusing our attention on those who deserve it
most.
After all, what could be more important
than that?
Dear God: Help me to stay focused on the
important things in life.
©2012
James E. Carper. All rights reserved.
“90 Second Stewardship” is a reflection on being a Christian Steward in a secular and sometimes
harsh world. This reflection is written by James E. Carper of Simi Valley,
California. All rights are reserved. You are welcome and encouraged to forward
this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2012 James E. Carper. All
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