Kindle Unlimited and God's Presence

I am a voracious reader. Mostly fiction but also nonfiction. If it’s nonfiction, it’s in book form that I read usually at my desk or sitting in my living room with a yellow highlighter in my hand. But if it’s fiction, I’m reading from my Kindle Unlimited app. And I read pretty much nonstop. I read when I’m at home, when I’m taking the elevator from the parking garage to my apartment, when I’m headed from my office to the bathroom at work. I read when I’m standing in line, when I’m waiting to be picked up, and when I’m lying in bed waiting to fall asleep. 

I’m currently reading a book (at my desk) entitled, “Dirty Glory,” by Pete Greig. A book on prayer. And it’s got me thinking. A lot. About prayer. I can’t remember the last time my heart rate has picked up like it does as I read this book. It’s inspiring, spiritually challenging and shaking up my lifestyle a bit. Especially the chapter called “The Presence Paradigm.” Causing me to examine how often I spend time in the presence of God. As I look at my day to day life, well, I find myself lacking. Not because of what I do all day, but what I don’t do the rest of the day. Let me explain.

I live a God-focused life. Now, before you think I’m getting all uppity, let me assure you that I'm not. It’s my job. I work at a church and I edit and create curriculum for kids. So my days are filled with planning around Bible themes, finding scripture, designing small group conversations plus sitting in on week-end programming meetings and participating in a prayer ministry. 5 days a week I’m all about God. It’s the rest of the time, however, that the “lacking” presents itself.

One of the times I am most judgy in my life is when I’m out walking or at a restaurant and see parents with their kids and the parents are on their phone the entire time! I want to yell at them and say, “GET OFF THE PHONE AND PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR KIDS, FOR CRI-I.” See how judgy I am? Well, this week, the Holy Spirit ever so kindly reminded me of the verse in Matthew: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” I’m sure that there’s been someone in the spiritual realm eager to yell something similar at me: “CLOSE YOUR KINDLE UNLIMITED AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT’S AROUND YOU, FOR CRI-I!!”

I’ve come to realize that I miss a lot when I’m on my own and living my Kindle attention-getting life. I miss my own thoughts and simple prayers that are eager to be released. I miss the people around me or that I pass by.

So, I’ve come up with a plan to help me be aware of God when I’m not getting paid for it. First, of course, is leaving my Kindle app closed while I walk, while I wait and while I lay in bed. Which was harder than I thought it would be so I have given myself an agenda, an approach that people use to help someone who’s in the midst of a panic attack. “Tell me three things you can see, three things you can smell, three things you can hear, etc.” Amazingly enough, this is helping me to experience God’s presence when I’m walking, driving, and lying in bed. I’m thinking about my day - not my work - but where I saw God in the midst of my walking and resting. 

And it’s slowly working. I’m beginning to remember and list people I spoke to throughout my day, people I walked by and memories of kindness shown. I’m saying a friendly hello to my apartment neighbors and sometimes I ask them questions. Now, of course, they’re a little thrown by it, but I just smile and show great, sincere interest. One woman told me about her mom and a health scare. The next time I saw her I asked about her. She looked at me with shock and told me her mom was fine then scurried away. Not sure what scared her exactly, but I’m not discouraged. Because I got to pray for her mom. NOT with this daughter - that would have scared the bee jeebees out of her, but on my own. 

My Kindle stories are hard to shut down, but I’m working at it. And hoping that the more I do, the more of life’s true stories will grab my attention, draw me in and remind me that God is here.