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Crazy Hellions!

A man entered a subway cart with his two children and sat down. His children became restless almost immediately. The onlookers around the man couldn’t help but notice that his children was the last thing on his mind as they created havoc on the subway. As every brick and every wall flew passed the cart through the window, the man just sat there staring in complete disarray. His children, one girl and one boy, began to kick, scream, and fight until one passerby couldn’t take it any longer.The lady nudged the father of these too brats and said, “Hey sir! Why don’t get a grip on these crazy hellions!”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize what they were doing,” the man replied as a tear rolled down his face. “They just lost their mom and they don’t know how to respond.”

Can you place yourself in that subway cart that day? I know that I would have just been another one of the onlookers with the kids completely getting on my nerves as well. But here is what God has been doing with me lately. He keeps hammering home the idea of stories; learning people’s stories; spending time with people; investing in the lives of others instead of investing in the latest gadgets.

I can’t help but place myself in this subway that day and be honest with you of how I would have felt. I would have been annoyed and probably wouldn’t have any patience with this guy because he was an “awful parent” letting his kids run crazy. But then, it just smacks me in the face with his response. If I would have known his story before the kids went crazy how would I have handled it differently? I definitely would have at least said hello to him when he entered the subway. I would have even said all the right things to him like: if there is anything that you need me to do just let me know or I’m here for you. I, without a doubt, would have acted completely different to him because of the empathy and the complete feeling of “how is this guy going to make it?”

Now this story isn’t based on actual events, it was just an example I wanted to use to explain what God has laid on my heart. I continue to update my status of Facebook, tweet with regularity, and now check-in to Foursquare but I have to ask myself what is truly important in our lives. iPad? iMac 27″ with all the software and gadgets? Google’s NexusOne that is suppose to be better than the iPhone? What is really important?

I am excited to say that Crissy and I have lost a good amount of sleep this week because we have made a conscience decision and effort to invest into the lives of our friends. Our first rule, no gadgets! Monday night friends left our house at 12:30am (on Tues.); last night another set of friends left close to midnight as well. With that in mind, it has been one of the most incredible weeks in a long time for Crissy and I. We are so excited to begin to share our lives and invest into the lives of others. We have began to surround ourselves with friends, not that are going to agree with everything that we do but that are going to push us in our walk with God. Friends that will build us up when we need some building but also ground us when we get to far off the ground. Crissy and my relationship has even grown as we lay in bed at night struggling to fall asleep because we are so excited about the friends that God has placed around us from the past, present, and what is doing in our lives. As I conclude, I just want to encourage you to take one night a week and invest it into someone else. Get rid of the gadgets… (I can’t believe that I just wrote that but I did)… turn off the television, cook something good (or buy it if that is the only option) and just share your lives with one another. I promise you that it will be an experience that you can’t replace.