Excuse Me! Could I Have Your Undivided Attention, Please?

This photo may look familiar. It should because I was in this very spot two years ago. I’m back in Tulsa for a few days that lead up to my mother-in-law’s 96th birthday on Wednesday. After my home sold two years ago, I stayed at a dear friend’s home for another six weeks because I had speaking engagements and other responsibilities here. I am back in this sweet spot and I get to enjoy this little piece of heaven again. This city holds so many precious memories, precious people, and so many favorite places to go. It’s not a vacay, but it sure is a favorite place to be.

I sat in this very spot each morning for my morning devotions when I was here before. I’d look out across this beautiful pond that my home backed up to. I received so much peace and comfort in this spot. I like to think that God also enjoyed my stay here because He got my undivided attention.

I wonder how God must feel about the lack of our attention because I get a little frustrated when I don’t receive full attention when I’m with someone. I can be having a nice conversation with someone, and then their phone rings or dings and, without even a second thought, they leave me hanging while they answer their phone or text message. Okay! I’ll admit it. I’ve been on both sides….the one singing “All By Myself” while others were heads down in their phones and I’ve been the one with my head down in MY phone. What in the world? Where did our respect for others go? I’m ashamed of us!! It’s time for putting those phones in another room or turning them off so we can get back to what’s REALLY important — being a sincere, caring, and respectful friend and family member.

Even worse is how disrespectful we can be to God. We can be right in the middle of sweet fellowship with Him when our phone dings and we can’t resist checking to see what that text message is all about. After all, it could be the plumber, the friend that we’re meeting later or one of our children or grandchildren who might need us. Right? But, oh so WRONG! We can be fully engaged in conversation with our Heavenly Father and our Savior Who gave His life for us and we allow ourselves to be interrupted. Sound familiar? God must be tapping His fingers on the arm of His royal throne as He tenderly and lovingly says “Excuse Me….could I have your undivided attention, please? I have secrets to reveal and plans to give you for your good.”

Just look at the object in this photo that the enemy of our souls uses to steal our alone time with our Best Friend, our Father, and our CEO? There it is, smack dab in the middle, instead of away from being a distraction to my one-on-one time with my royal guest. Jesus sat the example for us in Mark 1:35-36 “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a DESOLATE PLACE, and there He prayed.”