Help or Hindrance?

An iPhone. Everybody has one. Or they have something just as good.It's more than a phone. It's a camera. It tells you the weather. It stores your music. It's a radio. It has the latest news. A calculator. A calendar. It has an alarm clock and a timer. Map your walk, run, ride or track your fitness activities. It has games on it (for those boring meetings that you attend.) It has Facebook, Viber, Whats App, Messenger. Check your email. Video call a friend. And, it has Google. Do you need to know anything right NOW? Google it! Oh, don't forget the Amazon app. Shopping at your fingertips. What can be more fun when you"re bored? And, there is so much more available. A mini computer in your palm!

I recently traveled to Tamale for a funeral. I didn't take my laptop. But, I took my iPhone. It was really nice. I was able to check my email and answer anything that needed to be dealt with right away. I was able to read the daily devotional that a pastor friend sends out. (Thanks, David!) I was able to post pictures on my Facebook ministry page - Sue Kolljeski, Serving Christ in Ghana. I was able to post on my personal Facebook page. I had my music in the morning. I had episodes of Monk at night. It was very convenient, a big help to me.

But, my iPhone can also be a hindrance. I usually take my phone on the veranda with me when I go out on the veranda for my quiet time (for the music and the clock). But, when I am in the midst of a difficult Bible passage, my phone can "call" to me. I'll check Facebook. Or, if I hear the sounding of a message, at times, it is hard to ignore it. So, I have learned to put the ringer on silent. But when my mind wanders...discipline! That's what I need. And then, when I am working on a report or a message and I come to a point where it is not "flowing," it is easy to pickup the phone for a diversion. Just for a minute. Right? Wrong! Again, discipline. Focus. 

All of the modern technology can be such a great help to a person in so many ways. But, it can also be a hindrance. The choice is yours. The choice is mine. What do you choose?