For 6 hours and on a weekend, my flatmates and I decided to
turn off our Wifi connection, set aside our mobiles, Ipads, laptops and turned
off the TV. What we accomplished? Played the guitar, sang songs, danced to some
music, cooked a delicious meal, cleaned the flat, read a book, doodled in a
notebook, and placed hotoil in our hair. I know, there is nothing extraordinary
about these activities. But the best thing was we were actually outside our
rooms, sitting across one another and talking face to face. There were no
interruptions of FB’s newsfeeds or IG posts. There was music and laughter. It
was fun.
Now, we turned on the Wifi, and retrieved our gadgets.
We are back in our rooms, back to our social media life. Do not get me wrong,
the social media sites are an OFW’s lifeline back home. However, today’s
exercise reminded me that sometimes I need to actually get off my mobile, stand
up, leave the room and talk to people. Today I am reminded that I am surrounded
with people who have kind hearts and gentle spirits. I learned about their
struggles and I am amazed on their strengths in coping with these. Today was a
different kind of bonding. I look forward to more offline times with these
ladies.
Another gentle reminder is that the Lord is always online
with us. He never disconnects. We can always come to Him in prayer: Jeremiah
33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable
things you do not know.” Wherever we are, whatever connection we have, we can
always come to the Lord and in all His goodness, He will always answer our
prayers.
