Real Life. . . on Hold

I had an unnerving, but unfortunately frequent, occurrence yesterday. I was

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conversing with another health care professional regarding some work issues. We were not on email, nor on the phone, we were talking face to face.

Apparently her phone must have vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and began texting away at an answer.

I was in mid sentence when this occurred. I didn't know, should I stop my sentence and wait for her? Should I continue on speaking, assuming she could carry on both conversations, the one in real life and the one in cyberspace, simultaneously? I had been put on hold, only I was the "real life" person, not the message on the phone.

The incident immediately made me feel insignificant. I felt catapulted from having her attention, to the bottom of the totem pole, not even worthy of eye contact. I had been usurped by a series of letters on a screen and felt awkward and somewhat insulted as a result.

I wish I could tell you that I have never had this happen to me before, but alas, it is frequent in this age of instant communication to hear a bleep or bling or bell from someone's device and immediately have any communication from them ripped from you to whatever the device contains.

While relating this story to my husband, I felt convicted because, first of all, I have probably at some time, in some form done this to someone else. If I have done this to you, I apologize.

More serious to me though, is the many times I have done this to the Lord. How many times has He been desirous of my attention, my conversation, my thoughts and I have let something trivial, something less essential than the Lord of my universe, pull me away from Him? How often have I been engaged with the very Person who has given me "life and breath and all things" and then turned away for something so much less?

I can never feel wounded from my Blackberry friend because I have given so much more grief to One who could never deserve it. If I had any idea how much He delights in my prayers, my conversations, I would never let anything distract me from our communion.

". . .but the prayer of the upright is His delight."
(Proverbs 15:8)