I always have my cell phone with me. It’s essential to how I live my life. And, sitting in Adoration this morning, pondering whether Jesus is a gadget guy, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. I always know where my cell phone is. Always. Some days my wardrobe choices hinge on whether I have a pocket to tuck it in, and if not, I have a Plan B. Not having it with me is a cause for turning around – even if it’s “not worth it.” (It’s always worth it. My boyfriend Hubby might call and want to go to lunch!) It’s a great act of faith to leave it in the car during Mass.
I can’t help but wonder at myself. I’m so concerned about this little gadget, this way of keeping in touch. Am I so concerned about my prayer life? Do I spend as much energy making sure my Savior is with me always, in my heart, in my thoughts, in my decisions? Am I able to approach my spiritual life with the dedication I give this piece of plastic?
Father has mentioned before that the Ten Commandments are a good starting point for an examination of conscience, and the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” can also point us to little ways in which we don’t put God first. It’s not just about bowing down literally to SomeOtherGod. It’s also about putting God as your Number Two, instead of your Number One. For me, it probably has to do with not letting God drive, with trying to wrench free from his control (which, I have found, always lands me in the ditch, which is why he was trying to steer in the first place – to hit the curve and avoid the ditch).
So, as I thought about my cell phone, I couldn’t help but think about how other things take precedence in my life – about how I’ll get online and work morning prayers in around that, about how I’ll work the rosary in around the tasks I already do, about how I’ll fall asleep before I do evening prayer. Now, I’m shooting for an attitude of prayer always, so working it in is OK, I know that. But when it comes to MY priorities being before GOD’S priorities, then I think I’m walking the wrong direction. When my cell phone’s location is in the back of my mind at all times, right there with my daughter’s whereabouts, and I have no clue just where Jesus got off to (he’s right beside me, I know), then we have a problem, or the beginning of a problem.
Jesus should be my cell phone. Grab him when I need help, grab him when I want to make an important call to my Mother, put him in my pocket and my heart and take him with me wherever I go. How will this make my day better? Will I be able to remember that he’s there, the way I know where my cell phone is?
