Put It Down and Walk Away Slowly

One day, I forgot my phone at home. GASP. I made it all the way to work, settled in, and reached for my, oh wait. Panic set in. What if there is an emergency? What if I need to get a hold of my husband? What if the school calls?

That panic lasted all of two minutes because I remembered that my work has a phone and I am easily reached in case of an emergency.

So I saw my first few patients and again reached for my, oh no. That’s right, my phone was at home. This happened throughout the day (more than even I would like to admit). In any moment of downtime, my compulsion to reach for my phone was unending and completely involuntary.

But is it so involuntary? How did I get here in the first place? Who and what have I been serving so that my arm acts before my brain realizes what is happening?

Jesus says we cannot serve two masters.(Matthew 6:24) Upon reading this passage we can easily brush it off saying, Oh, I’m good. I only love and serve our Lord. I’m no pagan. But Jesus does not refer to only golden idols, but anything that takes our hearts and minds away from God.

How many times have I mindlessly scrolled this or that instead of spending time with Scripture? How many times have I gluttonously ate in splendor past the point of satiation instead of giving my share to someone in need? Did I skip a Mass to go to brunch or watch the big game?

What have I placed on that pedestal in my life?

Instead, I must strive to seek the Kingdom of God in every moment of my life. Reach for Him instead of my BFF, the cellphone. Who will I serve?

I must strive to seek the Kingdom of God in every moment of my life. // @substance_soulClick to tweet

Are you feeling pulled in too many different directions? Choose Jesus first, every time.

Dr. Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm is a wife to Paul, mom to two little ones, and practices dentistry at a public health community center for low income families in the Bay Area, California. She (unashamedly) thinks ice cream is its own food group, loves anything Harry Potter, does not leave the house without wearing sparkly earrings, and is an enthusiastic proponent of the Oxford comma. Find out more about her here.