I never thought that I would- but kids do weird things to your brain, and about a month ago, as I was taking my clothes out of the dryer, I found my IPOD nano among my springtime fresh workout gear.
So, not only did I wash it, but I dried it as well.
Spectacular.
At first, I thought that heaven had shined down upon me and overlooked this blunder because it still worked, (YAY!) I plugged it in, charged it up, and continued using it like nothing ever happened. It was just a whole lot cleaner (or so I thought.)
Then, it happened.
The screen started shorting out. I would turn it on, and it would go off. I'd be in the middle of scrolling through my favorite songs, and it would go dark. Humbug.
I didn't have the money, or the time, to get a new one immediately, and the truth was, I was probably a little in denial and secretly hoping it would start working again, so I began using Pandora on my phone for runs instead. Aside from the inconvenience of carrying the phone, I came to enjoy the variety and unpredictability of what song was going to come next.
I actually started to do better on my runs because I was just running, and not studying times and distances attempting to set a PR every time
Then, it happened. (Are you holding your breath?)
I was running along, and I got a text.
So I answered it.
Why not?
Next run, another day, another text. I answered that one too.
Next run, different day, saw something interesting- took a pic, and sent that to my hubby.
Before I knew it, my runs had been hijacked by my phone!
I became THAT person- the one who is so busy staring at her phone that she forgets everything else. I had become sucked into my Samsung.
Blasphemous!
I had vowed I would never become THAT person- yet- there she was! Accompanying me on my sacred -me-time-runs!
Once, I saw a video of a woman at a mall who was so engrossed in her cell phone that she tripped and fell head first into a fountain.
I WAS NOT going to become THAT girl, so I requested money for my birthday, and promptly went out and bought a new ipod. Now my runs are distraction free, and I can focus on what I set out to do-
RUN!
Not text.
Not send pictures,
Not check song lyrics or facebook.
Just Run.
What are you getting at? You ask. Lemme tell you because I know your time is precious.
Don't let the little things creep in and steal your focus.
We all have a line.
A line we say we won't cross. You have seen them- the people you spot, and pretend you aren't judging, but deep down inside you say to yourself, "I will NEVER be that."
Or
" You will NEVER catch me doing that."
I wouldn't be so sure....remember the accidental fountain diver? 'Nuff said.
There is a popular religious phase that states, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." I have often felt this way. I have had the creeping suspicion that unless it were for God's grace, I could very easily have been in the same unfortunate situation of many of the people I cross paths with every day.
However, there are moments when I forget this, and think something entirely unloving and mean such as, "I would NEVER do that! Can you believe them? What were they thinking?"
What was I saying about grace? ....Yeah.
Don't lie- you have done it too.
The Bible tells us, "Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes." (Song of Solomon 2:15) Now your wondering, what do foxes have to do with it?
Matthew Henry Commentary calls the foxes " the first risings of sin," or "those sins that seem little."
Foxes are the little compromises we make thinking they will be harmless.
The thoughts we think towards others, the malice and greed in our hearts, the selfishness we hide away thinking no one will notice. The judgmental side of us. Foxes.
I started out with good intentions- I was going to save some money and use my phone for a while instead of replacing my Ipod. Instead, I ended up glued to my phone and losing focus of what I was trying to accomplish- a good run. I ended up crossing a line I had made for myself and becoming someone I didn't want to be.
It happens slowly, we don't intend to do it, but before we know it, we're fountain diving too.
Are you becoming someone you don't want to be?
Are you already that person?
Are you headed for the fountain, but up until now, you had no idea?
The remedy? 1st Peter 5:8 states, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. "
We need to be vigilant. As Christians, we should be constantly examining our own hearts and asking the Lord to show us anything that is there that is not of Him.
King David said,
"Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong--
then guide me on the road to eternal life."
(The Message, Psalm 139:23-24)
Invite the Lord to see what you're about, and allow Him to guide you on the road to eternal life.
After all, I'm pretty sure He never ended up head first in a fountain.