Please, Silence Your Cell Phones

One of the first things I experienced in culture shock when I got back from Africa was the cell phone issue, and it still FLOORS me. 

Middle of a conversation, with people I hadn't seen in six months, and the cell phones would start ringing... Conversation ruined, not to mention the hurt it was, because I'd forgotten how little we value time with people.

The freedom I feel when I accidentally leave my phone somewhere, or when I intentionally fast from it, is just incredible. 

It seems to rule our lives. 

Turn your phone off for a day. I dare you. 

Or maybe, in conversation, tell the person you're with how much they matter by not interrupting the conversation with phone calls and messages while they're talking - or while you are. 

At least, think about the message it's sending to the people you're with. 

Think about the message it would send if you left it in the car when you got out to go somewhere, or turned it off... Or ignored calls when you were talking and what not... 

You'll be telling them how valuable their time is to you, how important their words are to you... 

Also - not that this applies to any of us, but... - the most common answer for teenage kids when asked what they wish their parents would do differently is, that mom/dad would get off of his/her phone. 

Just a thought. Or vent, rather. 

((( And I don't mean for job purposes, but after work, when you're with people who are supposed to matter to you... )))

We silence our phones in church, and in the movie theater... 
How often is God speaking to us through people and circumstances in our lives that we're blowing off with phone calls that ruin conversations - or maybe He wants to use us to speak to other people...

Send a real message of love by just shutting it off, hitting ignore, or silencing. 

{{ Mind you, I am aware this does not ALWAYS apply, sometimes you MUST answer the phone, and I get that, BUT... take those where it's a MUST, and return calls instead of rejecting real people the rest of the time. }}