A few weeks ago my cell phone gave up the ghost and quit. I tried
recharging it, restarting it and everything else I could think to do but my
phone was completely dead. What followed were days of frustration and
inconvenience until I could find the time to get a new phone. Several
people call or text me every day and I was concerned that I may miss an important
message. I use my cell phone to check my email while I am away from home or
the office and all of my contact phone numbers were saved in my phone. I
also had several applications that I use and some pictures, videos and
other files on my phone. I wondered if all of these were lost forever and I
dreaded having to start from scratch with a new phone. But I suppose the
thing that surprised me the most was that I realized I had become dependent
on my phone. Now that it was gone, I felt lost, incomplete, and vulnerable.
I know that may sound silly, but those few days without a cell phone were
tough. When I finally got my new phone, I breathed a sigh of relief and I
was even happier when I learned how to retrieve the files and contacts from
my old phone.
I really believe that I learned an important lesson from this ordeal with
my cell phone. I had come to depend on this electronic device more than I
should have. I took for granted that it would always be here. This phone
contained some important information, photographs and files. I had not
backed this information up or copied it my computer or tablet. I just
assumed it was safe and sound. One of the first things I did when this
dilemma ended was to make sure all of my important phone numbers and other
data were saved in multiple places.
God’s Word cautions us about trusting the things of this world more than
we should. He reminds us over and over that they will always let us down.
Whether it be a person, material wealth, or even a cell phone; all of these
things are imperfect. 1 John 2:15 cautions us not to “love” the things of
the world. I don’t know if I love my cell phone but I certainly allowed it
to be more important to me than it should have. And of course Proverbs 3:5
reminds us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your
own understanding.” (NKJV). If this “parable of the cell phone” has taught
me one thing, it is to examine my life and see if I am trusting too much in
worldly and material things or even my own abilities.
Pastor Joe Wiggins 