If we pay attention, it is fairly straightforward to see whose lives have been changed by “it” and those who seemingly embrace a take it or leave it attitude toward “it.”

When a person chooses to have “it” in his or her life, “it” is something the person carries with them all the time. Such a person will respond to “it” at a moments notice, even if doing so requires an interruption of the current focus, conversation, or task. When a person has “it,” more often than not, the person feels anxious, upset, or discombobulated imagining life without “it.”

Frequently, when a person’s life is built around “it,” the person goes through each day knowing that needs will be met through “it.” “It” often leaves a person feeling empowered because turning to “it” fosters the ability to do many things at once.

“It” offers direction, answer questions, creates a sense of connection, and gives a person the sense of being in touch. Go out into a public setting, and it is fairly easy to see who has “it” and who does not. Whoever has made a choice to live with “it” has been profoundly changed by “it.”

Decisions, ways of thinking, how one relates to and engages with others along with word choices all are dramatically impacted by “it.” How life is approached and hurdles overcome are affected by “it.” For many, “it” has become the lens through which life is lived day in and day out.

If you re-read the paragraphs above, “it” could be replaced with the word God. But there is another noun that can be inserted instead. The word, “iPhone.” I invite you to re-read the paragraphs once through using one word and then the other.

I have an iPhone and use it throughout the course of each day, but if truth be told, without intentional effort, I can slip into a life that looks much like the one described above. iPhones are an extremely valuable tool and are an enhancement to life in many ways.

That said, an iPhone can become consuming. How often have we walked into a restaurant and seen people not engaging with one another, but rather with the screen in front of them?

While technology is a God given blessing, too often I experience people talking with one another as if texting and I frequently see folks unable to sit still for a few minutes in order to have a conversation without repeatedly checking their iPhones.

It strikes me that if person’s life can revolve around an iPhone, the same can certainly be said of God. While I know first hand that intentionally infusing each day with God consciousness can be challenging, it is not only doable, but a life changing option for us all. And the good news is that God does not need to be recharged.

Originally published for The Chapel Mountaineer, April 14, 2016