Keeping it simple.....in a life full of distractions.

Just as I do each morning, I was on my way upstairs to pray for each of my children. I go into their rooms each morning when they are gone and I spend time in prayer for them. Some days I am in there for minutes, some days for hours. But today as I went into my son’s room....there it was on his desk. I gasped in surprise! It was beautiful! How did he get this gem? It was a very old typewriter. It was in mint condition and it was just like my grandmother owned. I had typed on a typewriter like this before! I was instantly taken down memory lane. It was heavenly! As I sat there in the quiet, I looked around the room. The computer, t.v., electronic equipment were all around, but center stage was that beautiful old typewriter. I found out later he had purchased it for $25.00 at an estate sale. I could only imagine the stories this old typewriter could tell. It was apparent by the worn ribbon, that it had been used to tell many stories.

I began thinking about the simpler days of life, when typewriters were all we had. “Call waiting” and “Caller I.D? What was that? If you weren’t home, you didn’t get the call. No computers, no ipods, no Facebook. I was out playing softball, building forts, or riding bikes with my best friend. I remember Mom always having the dinner on the table at 5:00 and we ate dinner together as a family every night. It was a time I looked forward to so much. Family, friends, fun. It was the simple things that made life so good.

I also remember prayer time each night with my family. I was tucked in every night by my parents and it was my time to share about the day. It was our time to end the day in prayer and pray for the next day ahead. Simple times shaped my entire life. It made Jesus so real to me. My focus was on Him....there just weren’t all the distractions.

So as I sit here, yes, typing on my laptop while my itunes are playing my favorite praise tunes....I am thankful yet challenged. I am thankful for technology and the good things it has brought in life, yet challenged to focus on the simple things, the things that shaped my life in the first place. I am challenged to not spend as much time distracted by the technology, but more time quiet....quiet with Him. I am challenged to make life a bit simpler.

Have you ever found your life so busy that you are no longer enjoying the moment, but looking ahead at how you will manage the next task or event in life? Kind of takes the “simple” out of the equation doesn’t it?

Just like that typewriter, I have many stories, and I hope many left to be written in my life. I want to savor the moments of them all. I want Jesus in all of them. I don’t want to get so distracted that His presence is the last thing on my list. I want to focus on the things that matter. After all when it is all said and done, it won’t be the t.v. show that made a difference, it won’t be a Facebook status, or a cool song from my ipod. It will be the time I took to spend with those I love....keeping it simple...keeping it joyful.....keeping it focused on the one who gave me this time in the first place. After all it has been said....The greatest things in life aren’t things. I couldn’t agree more. I pray we all enjoy the simple things today, there are so many of them. You will be amazed at the hidden miracles God has waiting.....in those very precious yet simple things in life.