What Message Are You Sending?

Have you ever had a conversation with someone when they were distracted? Maybe they were looking down at their phone, or even texting, while you were talking to them? Or maybe their eyes were on the TV as you spoke? Maybe they were busy cooking dinner and they occasionally murmured an “uh-huh” to feign polite interest?

Unfortunately, I’ve been on both sides of this interaction. I’ve been distracted when someone I love is trying to talk to me, and I’ve gotten my feelings hurt when someone didn’t give me their full attention. 

When we are not present in the moment with others, we unintentionally send them several messages:

1. They are not valuable enough for us to give them our full attention.
2. What we are doing is more meaningful than what they are saying to us.
3. Sticking to our schedule and to-do list is more important than pausing to listen and connect.

Unfortunately, we can also send God these same messages. 

When we are too distracted to listen to the sermon on Sunday, we are telling him our thoughts take precedence over his lesson. 

When we sit outside in the evening and scroll social media rather than seeing the beauty in nature around us, we are implying that we value our “connections” more than His gifts. 

When we are too busy to pray or read our Bibles, we are telling Him that we can handle our lives without His influence. 

When we don’t pause to thank God after He answers a prayer for us, we are showing Him we take His blessings for granted.

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

When God asks you to be still and listen, obey so that He can restore your soul and guide you. Sometimes He speaks to us in the faintest of whispers; what a shame to miss His message because we were too distracted to hear Him.  

Let’s choose to be present with God and with our people. Put the phone down in the moments where you can choose to connect. Turn the TV off.

Let’s choose to send God and our loved ones a message of love and respect by truly listening and connecting to them.

Lord, we thank you that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by you. We confess that we can so easily be distracted at times when we should be practicing engaged listening. We pray that you will help us train our minds to be still when someone needs to be heard and when you speak to us. We ask that you help us to be fully present with gratitude and respect in the moments that matter. Open our eyes to the goodness around us. Open our ears to hear. Open our hearts to love. Amen.