Mark 0:00

When did paying attention become weird? Seriously, at what point did just sitting somewhere drinking a cup of coffee and noticing the world around us become the strange thing? Because apparently it happened. Stick around, and I'll tell you the observation I had during an accidental moment at a coffee shop with nothing to do but observe. I pulled into the parking lot and decided to try something a little bit different. I left my phone in the car. I know that sounds daunting for some of y'all, even me. Now, it doesn't sound like a big deal to others, but but think about that. It's this little bitty rectangle that's always within reach. It's in our pocket, it's on the table, sitting in the cup holder. Half the time we don't even need it, we just grab it out of habit. So I walked inside, I ordered my coffee, and I sat down. And for the first time in a long time, I had absolutely nothing to do. Just me and my coffee. No screen to check, no notification to answer, no reason to reach into my pocket, just me and my hot cup of coffee. And you know what's funny? It it wasn't relaxing at first. It was it was uncomfortable. I actually didn't know what to do with myself. So I started doing the only thing left to do. I started looking around. And that's when I noticed something. Almost everyone was looking down. People were drinking coffee, sitting together, waiting for orders, taking breaks from work, but almost everyone had their phone in their hand. And that's when it hit me. I'm the weird one, which is not an unusual observation. But but this particular case it was because I was the only one without a phone. I'm the guy sitting by myself at Starbucks, just looking around the room. And I felt like the creepy stalker. You know, the guy who who looks like he's either stalking his next victim, he's teleported here from the 18th century, or he's waiting on a blind date who's definitely not showing up. That was me. I almost wanted to announce to the room, hey everybody, don't worry, I'm normal. I just left my phone in the car, which by the way would have immediately confirmed to everyone that I was not normal. But the more I sat there, the more I realized something. The strange thing wasn't really Starbucks. The strange thing was how strange it felt to be present. When did that happen? When did sitting quietly become awkward? When did having nothing to do, nothing to distract us feel like something was missing? And listen, I'm not I'm not the anti-technology guy. I love my phone. I use my phone all of the time. Most of us do. The fact that you're even watching this video means that you've invested in some kind of technology, and as have I. But that morning made me ask myself a question. Am I using my phone or has my phone trained me? Because I think there's a difference. One is a tool and the other is a master. And I think sometimes we don't realize how uncomfortable we become with silence. Quiet moments used to be part of normal life. Standing in line, waiting for someone, sitting at a red light, drinking coffee. Those were moments where our minds wandered, where we noticed people, where we thought about life. Now every space gets filled. And I wonder sometimes if we are so busy filling every quiet moment that we miss what God is trying to show us. There's this moment in scripture where Jesus visits two sisters named Mary and Martha. And honestly, I think most of us understand Martha. Martha is getting things done, she's preparing, she's serving, she sees things that need to happen, and she handles them. She's a go-getter. Most of us would probably admire Martha. She's productive, but Mary, her sister, does something completely different. She simply sits with Jesus and listens. And Martha, she gets frustrated because from her perspective, Mary isn't doing anything. But Jesus sees it differently. In Luke chapter 10, verse 41 and 42, it says, Martha, Martha, you were anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. I love that Jesus doesn't criticize Martha for working hard. The problem wasn't that Martha was doing bad things, the problem was that she was so distracted by everything happening around her, she almost missed who was right in front of her. And that's what hit me at Starbucks. What am I missing? Because I'm distracted. Maybe it's it's not just about a phone, maybe it's about attention. Because attention is one of the most valuable things we have. Whatever gets our attention eventually shapes our direction. But maybe God does some of his best work in the spaces that we keep trying to fill. Maybe there's conversations we're missing, people we're not noticing, moments God has placed right in front of us, all because we've trained ourselves to look down instead of looking around. So maybe being the weird guy at Starbucks isn't the worst thing. Maybe weird is exactly what we need to be sometimes. Maybe we need more moments where we leave the phone behind, look up, and remember there's a whole world happening right in front of us. And who knows, maybe you might even meet another weird person sitting right there without a phone. Just don't stare at them too long, then it gets weird again. Hey guys, thank you for joining me on another episode of Shankation. Hey, if this episode was worth eight minutes of your time, do me one favor and hit follow. That's it. It's the one thing that helps this show find other golfers, and it might just introduce them to Jesus. So enjoy your week. Until next time, keep chasing better.