WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM- Our Connection May Not Be a Plan Made in Heaven

     If you've read any of my columns, you know that they are normally light hearted. I will warn you in advance that this column isn't light. In fact, you may think it is dark in some ways. But please don't click out the light on me just yet until you've scrolled through the whole thing. Then maybe you'll understand why I decided to share it. Somewhere in the depths of my internal battery, I decided to share it despite knowing that there will be some out there who won't particularly enjoy it or will think less of me afterward and wish I would have kept all this in silent mode. But I am two things in these columns: honest and transparent. Maybe by me sharing my deeply personal story, some of you out there may benefit in some way. And I did get permission to write it. So here it goes:


     I was introduced to you during my college years. Little did I know then that a few years later you would become a major part of my life. I don't think it was love at first sight. You were merely a curiosity to me at first, but eventually you and I became attached at the hip, so to speak, and have spent our lives together ever since. I showed you off to my parents and they approved. And before too long you and I became almost totally dependent on each other.
     As the years passed together, I'm not sure I recognized just how attached at the hip we really were and just how much I was dependent on you. But I was and to be honest, I don't think that level of dependency was totally healthy.
     I know people say this a lot, but it's not you, it's me. You didn't do anything wrong. You're a strong tower to me. But quite simply, I became overly attached and overly dependent. Obligated, trapped.
     I left you that morning while you were in the kitchen. A couple minutes up the road I thought about turning around and going back. I needed to hold you. But I resisted the urge. In my mind I thought- "We need this time apart. I must resist the urge to turn around and drive right back to you".
     The Bible says in Luke 14, I Corinthians 10, Galatians 4, and numerous other places that we must place our commitment to God above all things. Those verses say that includes even family, as well as material possessions and any other potential idols in our lives. This is a tough pill for me to swallow. I love these things dearly.
     That day was a tough day for me. I felt both free and miserable at the same time. I thought about you often. The line at the bank drive thru seemed longer than ever, and all I could think about as I waited was holding you. I thought about you during the lunch I had with some of my friends. I shared with them that I had left you that day. They seemed to understand when I explained all the reasons why.
     Maybe it's not healthy to be together all the time, despite our strong connection. Maybe some time apart will help me gain perspective on your place in my life. Maybe it will help me understand what your proper place in my life really should be. Maybe I'll be a better man because of that day I walked away and left you.
     Actually, I returned home that same evening, having had zero contact with you all day long. I walked in and held you. You screamed at me 19 times. Yes, I counted. But the important thing was that we both survived that day.  Neither of our worlds came to an end. And I think deep down we're better for it. I still feel the same about you. It just scared me how dependent I had become on you. I fear many of the people who read this will not understand what I'm trying to say. 
     Here's the thing. God doesn't want anything to come between Him and me. No one or no thing. But you need to know this. He most certainly wants me to be a loving husband. He wants me to be a Godly father. He wants me to be an available Christian. But if you and I are attached at the hip all the time, it may hold me back from being all those things.
     You're not my wife. You're not one of my children. You're not my dog.
     You are my cellphone. And I survived the day I spent without you. When I returned home and picked you up, you yelled at me with 14 text messages, 4 missed calls, and 1 voicemail. That's 19 total screams but who's counting. Oh yeah, I was. You have a place in my life, but you're not supposed to run it. And thanks for not voicing any objection when I asked you if it was okay to write this column.


     For those of you who were brave enough to read to the end, go back and read again. It might make more sense now, especially if you look for the subtle clues, including the title. But either way, take a long, hard look at the potential idols in your life. And if you can't survive a full day without them, then you probably need to make some changes.

     (P.S.- I can't resist telling you that when I got home that day, one of my text messages was from my wife earlier in the day. It simply said- "You left your cellphone at home". Funny stuff. Think about it. By the way, I think I'll keep the wife. Our connection is strong.)