Don’t You Hate It When…

It seems increasingly so.  I can be on the phone with an individual who specifically asked me to call them.  As the conversation unfolds – and believe me I don't talk for endless minutes on the phone – the person will inevitably say, "Can you hold on a minute?  I have another call coming."  And before you know it, even before I can respond, I am beeped onto "Hold", until the party comes back on the line.             What is wrong with this picture?  When I went to school I was taught telephone etiquette.  And what makes the person think that I am any less important than the person calling?  Or, that the person calling may be any more important than I am?  Am I THAT boring that a person beeping in - any person beeping in – is a better alternative?  If so, don't ask me to call you.  I would rather keep my thoughts to myself. Typically when I am on the phone with a caller and I have another call coming, I ignore the incoming call.  The most important person at that moment is not the person calling, but the individual I am already speaking with.  Even when the person may hear the new call beeping in, and they encourage me to take the call; I say, "I can only speak to one person at a time while on the phone, and right now I am on the phone with you."             Here's my thought – it seems this is the way we treat God when it comes to prayer or our worship time.  We have time for our Lord as long as someone or something else isn't asking for our attention; but get a call, text, or hear our Facebook push notice say there is a message, and God goes on "Hold", and we're off to do whatever.             Does that grieve God?  It grieves me when it happens to me.  How can it not grieve God?  Come on folks, let's give God our full attention when it is time to worship and petition Him with our prayers.  Listen, you can never recapture the moments spent with God once you have dumped Him for a lesser demand.  And to place God on "Hold"…I don't think so! And by the way, seldom is the incoming call worthy of dumping the person you already have on the line.  That person already engaged in a conversation deserves your full attention at that moment – after all that's why you have voice mail, and it is how you keep friends.  Just saying it like it is!