Space Invaded

It was a picture perfect, end of summer day.

Not a cloud in the sky.

No humidity - so rare for August in New Jersey.

Normally, I would be working four hours on a Friday morning. But with an event that evening, I opted to go in mid-afternoon and spend the earlier hours being still. Nothing re-centers me like some quality time with God by the lake.

I grabbed my phone (to keep an eye on the time), my Bible, and my camera. You never know what you might see in this pristine setting, so I always have my camera with me.

I focused in on Psalm 46:10. "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth."

Be still. I closed my eyes and soaked up the sounds. Crickets. Cicadas. The low-throated, elongated honk of a heron. The multiple songs of the mocking bird. Water lapping on the shore line.

The sound of millions of bees headed in my direction!!

My eyes flew open and I searched the sky for the source of the sound, half-wincing in anticipation of a sting.

But there were no bees.

At first, I saw nothing. Then I spotted a tiny dot in the sky that came closer and closer.

I sat there with my mouth open, feeling a little like someone in a horror or disaster movie who stands watching destruction coming straight at them, but they never turn tail and run.

It was a drone.

I had seen them on TV. Had heard about them and the controversy over them - like when they invade air space and create problems for planes.

But I had never seen one.

And now, this noisy thing was invading my sacred space.

It hovered over me for more than a few seconds. What was it doing? Taking pictures of me? I felt violated by this over-sized electronic insect.

I whipped out my camera and took a few pictures and it suddenly decided to move on in a different direction.

Now my mind was on this...thing. Where had it come from? What was it doing?

The stillness had been broken.

The drone had invaded my space uninvited. But I think of all the times I allow technology into my quiet time. How often am I distracted by the buzzes, beeps, and ringtones of messages that can surely wait until God and I are done, but in that moment I give them precedence?

Maybe that's not a problem for you. But I confess, it can be for me.

I saw War Room last weekend, and it made me long to get down on my knees in a place with no distractions. To seek God's face, one on one, no technology around. In the tiny little apartment I share with my grown son, that can be a tall order. In fact, it's one of the reasons I tend to go to the lake early in the morning.

I crave His presence and He desires mine - with no interruption.

I would encourage you to look for a place to spend some alone time with God each day where nothing can distract. Put down the phone, close the lid on your laptop, shut off the TV.

Just talk. Be still. Know He is God. Refocus, recenter, reground. You'll be better equipped to go through your day.

Where do you go to meet God without distraction? What tips might you have for avoiding "space invaded?" I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.