Cell Phones

I just bit the bullet and bought a cell phone. For many years I have been boycotting the whole notion of being in “constant contact.” I remember back when I was in high school and many of my friends were getting hooked on pagers and the idea that they could be contacted anywhere they were at any time. My feeling has always been that I want the freedom to be “away” and not be always available to people.

I actually had a pager for three months back in 2000 when I had to go out of town and my wife was pregnant with our first child. However, I didn’t renew the contract after my initial three month commitment was up.

Well, pagers are out of fashion now, and everyone has a cell phone. I’ve avoided them like the plague too. Partially because of the fear of electromagnetic radiation being beamed into my brain on a regular basis, but mostly because I just wanted to be able to control my privacy.

I’ve realized now, though, that my thinking was wrong. Let me tell you why.

I’m a pastor. That means that I’m supposed to lead people toward spiritual maturity by loving them and serving them. “Privacy” doesn’t really enter into the equation. Now, of course, being a pastor doesn’t eliminate the fact that I have a family and that I do need some time in solitude and silence. But the reality of the situation is that I don’t have the right to think that I will serve people only when it’s convenient for me to do so.

I was reading in the Gospel of Mark about something Jesus did (Mark 6:30-44). Jesus had sent his Twelve Apostles to do ministry in his name throughout the region of Galilee, and when they came back, Jesus wanted to get some time alone with them. However, the people found out where Jesus had gone and they followed him there. This is what amazed me. The Bible says that when Jesus saw the people…

…he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

These people were interrupting Jesus. They were an inconvenience for him. But he had compassion on them and spent extra time with them teaching them and even feeding them! Read the story for yourself!

So, I bought a cell phone, and I’m making a personal commitment to make myself more available to those who need someone to talk with.