Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" (Mark 6:31 TNIV).

I bought a postage stamp this morning. When I couldn't get it to stick to the envelope, I accused the lady of selling me a defective stamp. She took the stamp, wiped it off, peeled the adhesive paper, and stuck it on my letter. My face turned red. I had been licking a self-adhesive postage stamp!

I left the post office and went to the gas station. I got out of my van and scanned my card on the pump to get my three-cents-a-gallon discount. The scanner didn't read my card, so I tried again ... and again ... and again. I must have tried 10 times before I gave up and went for help. The man who works at the station left his cubicle and followed me to the pump. He took my card from me and looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"This is from the exercise place up town. It won't pay for your fuel."

Feeling even more foolish, I went home to spend some quality time with my granddaughter. She wasn't in the best of moods, so to entertain her, I donned a headband with blue bunny ears that I had given her for Easter ... then I forgot to take it off. When the UPS man delivered a package, he looked at me like I had just stepped off a spaceship. Maybe I had!

We can still talk to him any time.

I blame my antics on being distracted. Seems like I'm distracted a lot. Like most folks these days, I'm "plugged in" 24 hours a day. If one of my phones isn't ringing (I have three), then I have a permanent mental list of 20 things I need to do throughout the day. If I finish that list — which I never do — I have more items waiting to be tackled.

The only way I know to be less distracted is to unplug myself — by turning off all the gadgets in my life and going somewhere where no one knows me and there aren't a million things I need to do. To put it simply ... I need a quiet place where I can be still and communicate with God.

Technology is great, but it's not necessary when it comes time to talk to God. We still talk to him through prayer any time. Truthfully, however, anything that rings, beeps, or vibrates to get my attention is distracting when I need to spend time with Him.

So unplug yourself and spend time in His presence. Be still and know that He is God! (Psalm 46:10)

 

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Title: "Unplug!"
Author: Teresa Bell Kindred
Publication Date: July 07, 2007

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene H. Peterson Many have awaited the day Eugene Peterson would complete the entire Bible in his unique translational-paraphrase. Well, the wait is over!

Teresa Bell Kindred is a lifelong Kentuckian, a former teacher, a wife, a mother, a freelance writer, and a frequent contributor to HEARTLIGHT. She is the author of the book The Knot at the End of Your Rope: 10 Ways to Hold On When You are Stressed Out. Learn more at her web site.

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