I told all four that there are going to be some times where we don’t agree with each other, but that’s OK. If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I’m the dictator. President-Elect George W. Bush 12/18/00

Have you ever had one of those days when all seemed right with the world, the stars were aligned, the sun was shining and then your phone buzzed.  Not once, but so many times it sounded like a pong game where the computer chip got stuck and the pings kept coming?  Yesterday was one of those days and that’s why I chose the opening tag that I used above.  Depending on your mood, depending on your political leanings, depending on how well you know or don’t know an individual, you can probably interpret what was being stated here a couple of different ways and have an immediate reaction to what you’ve read – positive or negative.  There ought to be a scientific study done that shows the inverse function of how the speed to which someone reacts to a text message or tweet, not knowing the full meaning behind it, will have a direct effect on how long a day that persons day can be…really, really long.

I am what some people would refer to as “mature” (in age alone) and the older I get, the harder it is to understand the youth and their methods of communication.  In my view :), there is far more communication being carried on via texts, tweets, emails, Instagram, snap-chats and probably 50 other methods I’ve never heard of.  If you use a phone, chances are you’ll end up talking to a recorded message because all phones now have caller ID (OK, I’m guilty of this one).  The problem with the popular forms of communication, each individual receiving the text, tweet – whatever – is left to determine the infliction the sender was intending to use.  A message that was sent in good humor or with good intentions could be totally misconstrued and defined with the total opposite meaning of what the sender had in mind.

I’m hoping that is what happened yesterday.  We have a family wedding fast approaching and everyone close to the couple is doing their best to make this day/weekend unforgettable.  The problem started with a text yesterday, then a reply, then misunderstanding, then a reply to the misunderstood misunderstanding and all of a sudden my phone is blowing up and I don’t have a clue as to what is going on and why half the women in my world are in tears.  So I started making phone calls.  Thank goodness the people I needed to talk to didn’t caller ID me but picked up the phone and had a conversation with me.  I’m pray that this little moment is behind us and in the word’s of one Rodney King – I hope we can all just get along.

Is there a point to this?  Yes – texting is the work of the devil.  (How about that – an Adam Sandler reference from the Waterboy).  No, my point would be, take a breath when you get a message via an unspoken format and don’t type fire and brimstone and immediately hit the send button.  Sometimes, not all the smiley faces in the world can cure a bad response to a misunderstood text message.  And sometimes, if the message was understood correctly, its best NOT to respond to it and just let it die a lonely death in the text message world.

Do something great for our Lord today – CALL a long lost friend on the phone and have a conversation with them.  Don’t send a message like – Haven’t talked to you for a while 🙂 – does that mean a. I’m smiling because I thought of you today OR b. I’m smiling because I haven’t talked to you for a while.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.