10 Sep, 2009
The Most Lasting Impact
DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION: Driver Texting Now an Issue in the Back Seat
After decades of marriage, Terry and Debbie Buchen learned to work through various marital issues. Then something new came between them — his cellphone.
Mr. Buchen, 62, couldn’t put it down while driving. The first time he sent e-mail messages from behind the wheel, he drove his BMW S.U.V. into a ditch on a deserted stretch of road. He was alone and driving slowly, and he wasn’t injured. Still, the incident was “very scary,” his wife said. Mr. Buchen knew he had a to make a choice between his habit and marital bliss.
“I chose my wife,” he said. But then Mr. Buchen, an agronomist for golf courses, asked for a compromise: he asked her to drive when they were together so he could stay connected with clients. That didn’t fly. “If looks could kill,” he said.
For all the conversations about distracted driving playing out in statehouses and on talk shows, the most heated discussions, and the ones with the most lasting impact, may be happening between family members and friends.
Such disputes are an extension of a longstanding source of tension — sometimes light, other times more antagonistic — between drivers and their self-appointed watchdogs.
It’s just that now, the back-seat driver is going after the BlackBerry.
These critics say such devices not only put lives at risk, but also steal attention from passengers hoping for some quality catch-up time. The multitaskers counter with the view that they must, and like, to tend to social and work demands.
story & photo courtesy of - The New York Times
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
What does today's God Story scripture teach us about "the most lasting impact"?
Just like Terry Buchen, we're all navigating busy lives filled with countless demands on our time coming from so many different directions. Many of us are also like Terry in that we deal with these demands by "multi-tasking". For Terry, his texting and emailing behind the wheel of his car almost cost him his life and put a serious strain on his relationship with his wife.
In today's God Story scripture, Paul reminds the Corinthian church to keep their eyes fixed on the most important things. In other words, our connection with God and our connection with the ones we love should be more important that simply "getting things done". Seems like a pretty basic idea right. However when you start to put it into practice it gets really tough.
There are just so many distractions all around us, it's hard to stay focused on the things in our life that can have "the most lasting impact". Think about it, when was the last time you prayed, or studied scripture without any distractions interrupting you. For some of us it's hard to remember the last time that happened. I think Terry's story and Paul's wisdom are a great reminder that while there are many areas in which our time and attention can be directed, there is simply nothing more important than focusing on loving those around us and loving the God that made us.
- What are some things that distract you from the people in your life that could be having "the most lasting impact"?
- Does "multi-tasking" affect your ability to be "present" with people or focus on important habits like prayer or study?
- Try to spend one full day only doing one thing at a time. Journal about the experience.
- Enagage a friend today in a conversation about multitasking and how it affects their lives.
- Challenge a friend to join you in the "one thing at a time" challenge.
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