My ancient iPhone died on Tuesday morning. Honestly, it didn't stress me in the least. Like at all. I was spending the day with my oldest daughter. My phone death was sending her over the edge. "Mama we need to go get you a new phone!".
Actually? No, no we didn't. I'm so old school I knew what a new phone meant. It means backing up. I hadn't. It means understanding. I don't. It means re-learning. Don't care. As long as I can: (1) write (2) listen to my praise & worship music on Bluetooth (3) talk via Bluetooth in the car (4) take pictures. If I can do those things? I'm good to go! All the other bells and whistles are completely lost on me.
My daughter and I got our nails done, bought new running shoes (don't get excited I excel at a slow stroll), ran errands, ate lunch. She wore me down. "It is not safe for you to be without a phone, Mama. I'm here I can set it up for you". She had a point. Come August she won't be available anymore. I'll be in a technology free fall once she starts work.
So off to Verizon we went. After a few minutes my name was called. I was greeted by Tomeka. Amongst the loud music, ringing phones, lines of people she was a delightful breath of fresh air. She confirmed the old phone was dead. As a door nail. Tomeka and my daughter quickly whisked me to the iPhone display.
Oldest picked up a calculator and said "you need this". Um, no, no I don't. That thing was huge! Then my oldest proceeds to tell Tomeka my middle aged dark secret. "She has reading glasses in every room of her house. Her purse. She has them in her car. She even keeps a pair in my dad's car". Hello? Cute daughter and lovely salesperson? I'm right here. I may be blind but I'm not deaf yet. "Mama, get this one. You can see the screen when you are writing". The next thing I know my oldest and Tomeka have picked out a case "You have to get this one. It looks just like you" they both declared.
"I don't know Olivia this is huge and expensive." Tomeka asks me "what do you do?" And just like that it popped out. "I write". Tomeka said "Write about what?" "I write a published blog about Jesus". The next hour we talked about Charleston, scripture, the Rapture of the church. Tomeka made my day!
"Oh, yes ma'am, if you are writing about the Lord you need the best. Um hmm. You need this phone". She showed me all of the features. I stopped her dead in her tracks at the fingerprint log in. "No way. Mark of the beast. I'm not helping usher that in". Salesperson looks at me and rolls with laughter. Oldest daughter rolls eyes. I was and am serious. Technology is dumbing and numbing an entire generation to the schemes of the enemy.
By the time I had signed the paperwork Tomeka had three other employees reading elizabethcondrey.blogsot.com on their phones. We talked about taking a stance for Jesus. We talked about no longer being able to be luke warm in our faith. Being ready to meet our Savior face to face at any moment. We talked about the victims of Charleston. Our certainty that they were without pain. Our belief that Jesus met them immediately.
We hugged goodbye and I drove off with a phone larger than a calculator. And I might add...without thumb print recognition. Amen.
God is pretty spectacular. I got the message loud and clear. Sometimes the things we least want to do? Well, they reap the biggest blessings. I couldn't help but smile the rest of the day. Tomeka blessed me beyond measure. Who would've thunked it? God had schooled me. And it was good.
"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening"-
1 Samuel 3:9
