Choosing People Over Things

Slowly but surely, hand-held devices are infiltrating and controlling our lives and conversations. 

A ring here, a ping there, and then an audible silence, luring our attention away from a real-time conversation toward a lifeless screen.

Ring, Ring, Ring

My daughter and I were recently sitting together at the island in our kitchen, fully engrossed in a meaningful conversation. Then we heard the ring of my phone in the distance. There was an audible pause in our conversation.  We both looked toward each other as if to say, well I know what this means, our conversation is over and mom is about to get up and go answer the phone. 

I just sat there, gathering my thoughts, and blankly stared back at her. It felt as if time had stopped and all the wisdom ever needed, enveloped me and an epiphany hit out of nowhere like a lightning bolt. 

Instead of getting up from the island to sprint across the house to grab my phone, I sat very still and firmly spoke these three words: “I Choose You.”

It Feels Good

As the reality of what I said aloud settled in, and my eyes darted back to the office hearing the ring of the phone again, a smile smeared across my face and my eyes lit up.  I looked back at her and repeated in a convicting, reassuring way, “I choose you.”

“Yes!” Laughing and feeling a resounding sense of joy fill my heart and I said again, “I Choose YOU.”

You have never seen someone sit up taller and have such a sense of pride flash across her face. 

By staying put in my chair and giving her my full undivided attention, she understood that I prioritized speaking with her face to face, rather than getting up to answer the phone. 

Choose People Over Things

She felt the heart of those words because they matched the action.  I placed priority and importance of “her” over an inanimate, lifeless object.  Seems like such an obvious and rudimentary thing, yet prior occasions could have painted a different picture.

In that precious moment, she felt valued and radiated happiness from the inside out.  

What I learned that day is:

• More than anything, people must feel their worth and value more than hearing it.
• No more letting a device control when a conversation starts and stops. 
• Make a conscious choice to choose people over things and let the people in our lives feel that they are valued.