Be Present

This past October I had the honor to attend a leadership conference with my daughter. The theme for the conference was

Be PresentOne of the speakers, Priscilla Shirer, hit on this theme and had me thinking. The three points that hit home with me were, 1) by hurrying through the seasons, you will miss out on the blessings of the moment. 2) It is possible to be there and not really be there. 3) God has chosen the squares of your life; you might just be on the wrong square. 

We live in a time where some would say we are always present, because we are connected with our gadgets. Some might say that those same gadgets are keeping us from being really present. As I thought about this, I was reminded of an Andy Griffith episode. It was the story of a visiting pastor that had come to town; his talk was on What’s Your Hurry? The episode was a lesson about being present. The Mayberry folks got so wrapped up in having a band concert that they forgot to be present with one another. How many times does this happen to us, we get in such a hurry to rush through the week to get to Friday that we miss time with each other? 

Although I am a technologist who loves gadgets and I will admit, I find myself at times being addicted to those devices. Checking an email the second it arrives, clutching the little device like my life depended on it, waiting on that next text message like it is going to change the world, checking Facebook to see what someone posted or that latest tweet from someone I don’t even know. Don’t get me wrong, these are great tools and I love them. It is great how quickly we can communicate with someone half way around the world or how we can reconnect with someone from our past. 

I was walking through the mall the other day and I could not help but notice all the people with their little devices in hand, typing as they walked, the person backing out of a parking space, already talking on the phone and the number of people eating with their little devices on the table. These little devices and their contents have become a huge distraction, keeping us from being present. The next time you find yourself in a meeting, talking with someone one-on-one or having a meal, just put the little device out of reach. Whatever the message, it can wait; I really doubt it is a world changer. The next time you go on vacation, hide the little device and check it once a day, let people know, I am on vacation and I will be disconnected. 

This year, the week before Christmas our family was in Haiti. One of the joys was sharing Christmas with over 200 children and seeing their smiling faces with what we would consider the simplest of gifts. One of the things I enjoy about Haiti is the lack of connectivity. Sure, there is internet, but I tried my best, not to connect very often. Of course there is no connectivity when you are out, no emails, no texts, no Facebook and no phone calls. There was no TV and I must say I really did not miss it, sure I enjoy a few shows on TV, but over time, I think I could learn to live without seeing them. On our return, the world news seemed just about the same as when we left. Being in Haiti forces you to be present. 

So in 2012, I plan to be more present laying that little device aside and giving it a break every now and then. One of the speakers at the leadership conference encouraged everyone to have a gadget free day once a week. I encourage you to make 2012 the year of being present with those around you.