The Phone Call

I have many country signs in my house.
Some signs are over doorways.
Some signs are hung on the wall.
Some signs are strategically placed here and there in various rooms.

I wanted to find another sign for over the crib that is set up for our expected grandchild.
It was a sign I had actually given my daughter and her husband for their nursery.
I loved what the sign said.
I did not want to get the same sign.

I returned to the store where I bought the sign for my daughter.
I saw the exact one there.
I passed it right by.
I enjoyed reading all the signs that were displayed.

There it was, on the bottom shelf.
The sign could easily have been missed.
It had the same words, the same verse.
I carefully removed the sign from the shelf.

For this child I have prayed. (1 Samuel 1:27)

As I was walking up and down the aisles filled with signs, I noticed him.
I heard him before I saw him.
I knew that he was on his cell phone because I could hear the muffled voice of the other person.
The man was talking loudly, walking up and down the aisles having his conversation.

Everyone in the store heard him.
There was nothing wrong or inappropriate about the things he said.
He was talking about sports, players, stats, and predictions.
The man was animated as he walked up and down the aisles holding his phone.

I was not following him though it must have seemed so.
Every time I turned on another aisle to find the sign I was looking for, he was there.
He would see me and quickly turn and go down another aisle.
Apparently, this kept happening to him, since many people were in the store.

He wanted to be alone and have his conversation; all of us shoppers were in his way.
The annoyed look on his face said it all.
I wondered why he did not go outside and finish his phone call.
He could come back inside when his call was completed.

I wondered what he was shopping for, since his phone call was the most important thing.
He and the person he was talking to, did not agree.
That was obvious to any of us within earshot.
People were giving him looks as he continued his loud conversation all around us.

I saw a woman shopping with her mother.
They were looking at signs as well.
I smiled to myself, thinking that these sign aisles were quite popular on this particular day.
They were talking quietly and pointing to different signs they liked.

I wondered if they were buying a sign for a child’s room or a nursery.
Then I heard him.
He was coming our way.
By this time, I found the sign I wanted, which happened to be on the same aisle.

His voice got louder and louder.
He approached the two women.
The man was still talking on his cell phone.
The younger woman asked his opinion on a sign.

He talked to the woman, who I presumed was his wife, while he was still on his phone.
He was still talking about players and stats.
He was answering his wife in between sentences to the person on the phone.
Finally, with annoyance, I heard him say, I’ll have to call you back.

He spoke to his wife with a, let’s hurry and get this done, kind of tone.
Her sole purpose of coming to the store was to browse and possibly purchase something.
He had something different in mind.
He was killing two birds with one stone; he could shop and talk at the same time.

Neither his wife or the caller was getting his full attention.
His enthusiasm was definitely for sports and not for signs.
I understand that we are not all wired the same, or have the same interests.
However, if we are going to be there then we need to be ALL THERE.

Something as wonderful as a cell phone can be disastrous for relationships.
How many times have you seen people in a restaurant on their phones?
They are scrolling or texting instead of talking to the people in front of them.
How can something so useful be such a hindrance to face to face conversation?

Everything done in excess is a problem.
There is a time and place for everything.
What was supposed to make life easier, actually made life more complicated.
We are always accessible; we are never still.

We grab our phones when we have a few minutes to spare.
We answer some texts or emails.
We may check social media.
We might read a quick news headline.

While we are looking down, life is happening all around us.
We take pictures, to have a memory instead of enjoying the moment we are in.
We see life behind the camera instead of actually experiencing it.
We have to be intentional to have a bit of a communication blackout during our day.

There is a feature on my iPhone for which I am very grateful.
Once my car turns on, a notification comes up.
It says that I will not receive calls or texts while driving.
My drive is silent with no distractions.

Your iPhone stays silent and the screen stays dark. If someone sends you a message, they receive an automatic reply letting them know that you’re driving. If the message is important, the sender can type the word “urgent” to make sure that you receive a notification. Then you can pull over to read their important message or ask Siri to read it to you…Phone calls are delivered using the same conditions as standard Do Not Disturb: You can allow calls only from your Favorites, and allow calls to come through if the same person calls twice in a row. (apple.com)

Most things are not urgent and can wait.
We live our lives looking down.
We miss so much.
We have simultaneous conversations, yet we are poor listeners.

For this child I have prayed.
I have prayed.
I did pray as I walked to the registers.
I do pray.

Father, protect my precious grandchild from distractions. Give this child time to be still so he or she can hear You whisper. Help us look up at You and out at all You have made. Help us to be good listeners, listening first to You and then to each other. Quiet our hearts so we can hear You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.