When is the last time you waited in a line? Yesterday? The day before?
When is the last time you waited in a line and weren’t on your phone? Can you remember a time?
Yeah, me neither.
Even with my newly unloaded phone, I still pull it from my pocket in lines to read some Scripture or send a text. Not that reading my Bible is a bad thing (like, at all), but I’ve been challenged this week to use my waiting in line time to, well, wait.
To look around. To notice the people standing near me. To be still. To let my mind wander.
You know what? It’s hard. In an age where we’ve trained ourselves to be constantly distracted, waiting for even a few moments can seem like hours.
Yet I’ve found that this open-ended, open-minded time helps slow, ground, and settle me back in the real world. I’ve found that when I notice the people around me I’m often drawn to prayer for them: the flustered business person, the tired mom, the stooped older man, the high-powered executive, the bored teenager.
Not to mention that when I’m in line with my kids we can actually, you know, have a conversation if I’m not glued to my glowing screen.
Want to join me in waiting in some lines this week and just waiting?
Lines are the perfect place to open up some soul space.
Where will you be waiting this week?
Courtney Ellis 