Dependent

Tonight I lost my phone. At first I was just a little annoyed because I wanted to call Josh and tell him where I was. Then I got home and got more frustrated because I realized there were lots of things I needed to communicate via my phone and without it, there would be a cosmic black void, a silence, a.... AHHH... I'm sooo lost without my phone. Without it I will not be able to contact a vast amount of people. And the texting, oh how I love the easy quick way to shoot out a text! Oh the tragedy of it all! So I sit here waiting to see if the building manager from campus calls me back to see if they found my phone. If they don't --- well friends... that ain't good.

In the mean time, I am forced to ponder two things:

1. I am dependent on my phone. I need it daily. It's my line of communication. Without it, I am lost. However, am I daily depending on my Savior? Without Him, I truly am a wondering fool. When I don't have that daily touch point with God, if only it would seem as if something were not right, something were missing, just like I knew that my phone was missing.


2. Just as I need my phone to be in direct communication with family and friends, I need to be in direction communication with God. He doesn't care whether it's the long conversations (like when you're on your phone for too long and your ear starts to burn!) or if it's like the short text you shoot out. As long as it's communication, it's relationship building.

So I'm thankful for this reminder of needing to be dependent on God, but I do hope that I find my phone!

Gauges

Today I heard a story on the radio. The guy was talking about how he kinda thought there might be something wrong with his car, but he was running late, so he kept driving anyway. Pretty soon, his car kept slowing down, even though his foot stayed on the pedal. Then, smoke started billowing from the hood. He got out and ran the opposite direction from his car. Fortunately, a mechanic was driving by and said "Pop your hood!" Someone else driving by happened to have a fire extinguisher in their vehicle, and eventually the fire was put out. The really funny part of the story was this guy's car that was "going down in a blaze of glory," as he put it, was his Chevy Blazer! Ha!
The point was made though --- how often do we run around pushing ourselves to the point of going down in flames? Running late, pushing up against deadlines, not taking time to pause and enjoy the things that refresh and bring life....we begin to slow down, shut down, even though we are trying with all our might to keep our "foot on the pedal."

So a couple things here:

1. Slow down and check your gauges. We all have internal gauges or cues that tell us how we are doing. If we are taking time to listen we can save ourselves a lot of internal damage. Journaling is one of my favorite ways to slow down and process. I also think it's helpful for me to read my Bible and pray - it refocuses my mind and "refuels" me.


2. Who are you hanging around? We all need people in our lives to help us. Just like the man needed the mechanic and the dude with the fire extinguisher, we need friends who will tell us when we should pull over, when we might need "a repair," or to be there for us when we "crash and burn." These people need to be people who love you and are willing to speak truth in a loving and gracious manner to you.

So while you are journeying (is that a word?) through life - make sure you are checking your gauges and surrounding yourself with a community of supportive people. These two things will help you. They won't prevent all roadside emergencies, but they will indeed help!