Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: PRESENT (07/16/20)
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TITLE: Clear and Present Danger | Previous Challenge Entry
By Tammy Ortung
07/21/20 -
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I had been on worship team this morning and was running late because I’d stayed to help clear the mics, cords, and other electronic equipment from the basketball court before the YMCA opened for business.
I smiled in greeting as I approached and slid into the bench seat opposite my husband.
“The usual?” the waitress asked almost immediately.
“Yes,” we both echoed, though I clarified a few things, “Extra crispy bacon, and fork scrambled eggs with cheddar, please.” I don’t like the taste of processed eggs in the carton. A minute later, I heard a similar conversation a few feet away. The waitresses always teased us because, without exception, we’d had the same orders every Sunday for the past two years.
We typically pulled two tables together to converse and spend time as a family, but new COVID practices had put a stop to that. After several failed attempts at conversation with my husband—his allergies had triggered another headache—I took out my phone to check email. I’d received nothing but junk since the night before, so I stuffed my phone back in my purse and peered around the restaurant. People-watching was one of my favorite pastimes. Mom was on her phone perusing Facebook, or so I assumed since that was her normal habit. My teenage nephew was slouched over the table with his forehead resting on his arm as he also thumbed through his phone. Patrons at other tables not eating were similarly engrossed in their phones.
As the silence at our tables ensued, I was struck by how everyone was in their own dimension—no one seemed present in this one. Though many people said the restrictions imposed during COVID had brought their families closer together, the chasm growing between ours was palpable. Instead of migrating nearer, we had taken social distancing to a new level. Six feet? Heck, we were rarely in the same room. And whenever we were physically together, mentally, we were miles apart.
Earlier that week my husband had been talking to me when I became distracted by a text.
“Do you even hear what I said?” he asked a few seconds later.
“Yes,” I replied.
“What did I say?” he challenged. I confidently repeated what I’d heard.
“See, I knew you weren’t listening.”
“I was listening,” I said. “I guess I just missed that last part. I’m sorry. I was trying to take care of a situation with one of my volunteers. It was important.” I realize now that what I was telling my husband in that instant was that he wasn’t important.
I’d like to think that my circumstances are no different than what many others are facing during these chaotic times. Yet I believe Satan—the deceiver—has us all fooled into thinking that COVID is the pandemic. When, in all actuality, the real contagion is the damage happening to our relationships due to our inability to be completely present in the moment. We seem perfectly content with merely taking up space, constantly distracted by technology. We rarely look up from our devices to see the people, needs and/or mission God has placed right in front of us. Some people believe that as a society we don’t even know how to have healthy interpersonal, face-to-face relationships anymore. I wonder how we expect to reach others with the gospel when we’re so preoccupied.
King David wrote in Psalms 16:11 NLT, “You will show me the way of life. Granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” But how can we feel joy in Jesus’ presence if we’re not even spending quality time with Him? Just as it is impossible to feel joy in the presence of others when we find more important things to occupy our time. We need to wake up—look up—and be present, wherever God has placed us. Life is too short to waste another millisecond.
Warning! Clear and Present Danger Ahead!
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