Where is my phone? Where is God?

Electronic devices, especially smart phones, have become so integrated into our lives that it is difficult to imagine a life without them. They have become our brains, our money managers, and our lifeline to our friends and families. When we do not have them with us we feel lost.

In reflecting on this I am reminded of a patient I had the opportunity to help some years ago. He was a nice gentleman that had unfortunately suffered a stroke that affected the entire right side of his body. He had limited use of his right arm and his right leg. Even more impaired was the vision on the right side of his visual field. Basically, anything that was not right in front of this gentleman was no longer in existence.

One day we were sitting across from each other at a table working on some worksheets as part of his therapy program. The man had brought his cell phone with him to the session because he had been waiting all day to have a call from his family. Initially the phone was on the table between us, but was we were working the phone got shifted further and further to the man's right side. About 30 minutes into the session the patient then thought about his family again. He looked for his phone, in the limited visual field that he had, and couldn't find it. As you can imagine he was initially very panicked and felt hopeless. Before he got too worked up, I gently told him to relax, take in a deep breath, and turn his head further to the right. As he did this he quickly saw his phone and remembered that he now needed to be a little more purposeful in searching his visual field for lost items.

It was in that moment that I felt the presence of God reminding me to do the same. I, myself, do not have a physical visual impairment, but from time to time it is easy to develop a spiritual visual impairment. What I mean by this is that some times I find myself getting tunnel vision and only being able to focus on the problem right in front of me. In these moments it is easy to feel all alone and unsupported. What God reminded me in this moment was to turn my head just a little more to the right than I was doing. God, like the phone, was there in that moment, and in all moments.

When you think you are all alone, or that you have lost your hope, just turn your head just a little bit more and see that God is there with you.

Psalm 146:8

Verse Concepts

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

The Lord raises up those who are bowed down;

The Lord loves the righteous;