Lying on the floor in the backseat of my car, I found my 6-year-old grandson’s play cell phone this morning. He had brought it with him for our play date knowing that we were going to the Reptarium to see the sharks, alligators, and snakes, and he wanted to take photos.
But a play phone doesn’t take nearly as good photos as my i-phone, and I didn’t want him to be the least bit distracted from this experience, so I told him to leave it in the car and I would take photos and send them to his mom and dad. He whined for a minute, until I explained why.
I told him to take a photo of me smiling with his camera. Then I told him to put down the camera and look at me while I smiled. When I asked which one was more clear, he said without hesitating “no camera!” I explained that the lenses in our eyes that God gave us, provide a much clearer and accurate picture, one that lasts as a memory the rest of our lives. A dumb phone that man made gives us a cheap and blurry version that lasts only a little while.
Then I asked him, “Would you rather have a blurry photo to remember me for a week? Or would you rather have a crisp, clear memory in your head for the rest of your life?” With that he threw the camera on the floor and jumped out of the car excited to get checked into the Reptarium. There wasn’t another word spoken about that camera, and a week later that play phone is still on the floor of my car, probably not even thought of once since he threw it there. I watched him enjoy every animal to the fullest, and later that day I listened to him tell his older sister, “Guess what! I held an alligator and I’m going to remember it for the REST OF MY LIFE!”
Proud Gummy moment right there!
I’m headed to see the grandkids this morning after they return from bike rides with their Papa on the country trails near their home. I’m not sure what activity we’ll do but for as long as we can, we’d really like to prevent them from becoming glued to unnecessary technology that robs them of their childhood memories, and contributes to them thinking a little too highly of themselves. That’s really what makes our cell phones dumb.
Listen, I’m guilty. My phone is in my room right now and it just sounded off that someone this morning has sent me some texts. It takes real discipline not to run and see who, but this week it’s a goal of mine to remember I am indeed influencing my grandchildren, so I’m practicing giving my full attention to whatever I’m doing, whoever I’m spending TIME with, or whoever I’m listening to. And yes, at times it’s a struggle, because I’ve grown attached to my phone as well. But I want more for my kids.
I don’t just want them to memorize Philippians 2:3-4, which says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” I want them to understand this, and I want to model it for them. So this starts with putting that dumb phone out of sight, and out of mind.
One of the last things I wish for my grandchildren is that they become little digital creators who think so highly of themselves that they feel the need to update the whole social media community on how they wash their face, what they ate for breakfast, how they chop their vegetables, then adjust their phones for just the right angle (of themselves) and their moment-by-moment activities, tie their shoes, (adjust phone AGAIN for another good angle of THEMSELVES), wash their dish, and God forbid mount that phone on the dashboard (again, with the perfect angle of THEMSELVES), to give their advice to the world while glancing every two seconds (AT THEMSELVES), at that dashboard-mounted phone to check that their hair looks just right…
I do NOT want them living what I call a “LOOK-AT-ME life!” That is NOT what I have prayed for them! I want them to look at the needs of others. I want them living a Philippians 2:3-4, “TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU” life!
Newsflash. Nobody cares what you ate for breakfast. Or your 30-minute daily instructions on how to put on makeup while your kids are eating breakfast at the table, alone again, without their mother.
Want to be an influencer? But that dumb phone down and go sit at the table with your kids and create some NOT digital memories. Realize that you are likely only a legend in your OWN mind – and not quite the celebrity you wish to be. Go and BE PRESENT with your family. And if being an influencer is truly your goal – live out Titus 2 and go find someone to disciple (influence) you, and then disciple (influence) someone else, and do it without your phone mounted to catch your “good side,” giving them your full attention with your eyes locked on them, not your dumb phone screen. We need this far more than we need make-up tutorials, play-by-plays of vacuuming your living room floor, or cooking each of your meals.
One of the most impressive things in just a handful of women I admire the very most, is their inactivity on social media, and knowing that most of their activity is spent doing things for others without selfish ambition or conceit. They ALWAYS speak well of people, and in humility, they treat them as more significant than themselves. They are constantly looking to the interests of everyone else and meeting their needs. And they do NONE of this with a camera mounted just right to catch their best side 😉
When I chose someone to ask if they would disciple me, I didn’t seek the most tech-savvy woman I could find, with a selfie-stick and her iphone constantly pointed at herself. Nope. I found someone doing just the opposite.
If this describes you, and you truly want to be an influencer – get off your dumb phone, and find someone to disciple.
Yes, hello Pot. This is Kettle. Preaching to myself, as well.
This is an excellent article Rita, I am going to work on myself for sure
Love you my dear friend