What do you do first thing?

MORNING God! WHAT do you do first thing in the morning? I reach for my phone – initially to see the time, and how long I’ve got in bed before taking the kids downstairs for breakfast.

But soon my attention switches to my apps – what’s happened in the world over night ... what are the latest sports results ... any emails or texts ... what have my friends posted on Facebook while I’ve been asleep?

I might check my bank balance – is there enough to see the family through to the end of the month? And then ... there’s an anxiety in me ... what’s next? What next to check?

With everything at my finger tips, with the clock constantly ticking – am I missing out on something, should I be doing something?

We live in the instant, the moment, not wanting to miss out, but also constantly snacking on news and information. Have you noticed that most things online are in bite sizes?

Short articles, phrases in the place of sentences, sentences instead of paragraphs ... that’s how I’m writing now!

While I know you can get books on a kindle or tablet – they rarely keep your attention for long, before you ask ... what’s next? What’s happened?

As a result, we live on the edge – in a nervous state. Not resting well, not eating properly, not having proper conversations.

It won’t surprise you to know that Jesus didn’t say much directly about social media ... he did have a mobile! But that doesn’t mean he has nothing to say.

Jesus focussed on the person in front of him, giving his full attention. Jesus had meals with friends and those on the fringes of society.

And Mark’s Gospel tell us that ‘early in the morning, Jesus rose to pray’ – his first thought was not news, but prayer – his first desire was to talk to his Father, to praise him, to bring before him the needs of the world - to pray for God’s kingdom to come, to ask for God’s provision for our daily needs.

In prayer, Jesus calls to not worry but to trust and pray – for the God of the Bible is a Father figure, our heavenly Father. And a Dad is someone you can take all your problems to, who provides and protects, who loves you deeply.

So, let me encourage you, as I encourage myself, to put your phone down – read a book, have a meal, a proper chat. And when you wake in the morning – before reaching for your phone, how about praying and saying: Morning God!