Being in the Awkward
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One thing I liked about having my phone, is that whenever I was waiting for something, I’d be able to use it to pass the time.
One thing I disliked about having my phone, is that whenever I was waiting for something, I’d be able to use it to pass the time.
Exactly.
Basically my phone has become a crutch. I was never great at starting conversations, and my phone made it easy to avoid even attempting to do so.
Before smartphones, everyone was standing in line or whatever, waiting with nothing to do. But now, most people are on their phones, so even if I wanted to start a conversation or just a friendly neighborhood “hi,” I think I’m being rude for interrupting whatever they’re doing on their phone.
Because of our phones, we don’t allow ourselves to be in an awkward space that can potentially lead to a positive experience.
With shelter-in-place, video calls and meetings are on the rise. Families and friends are using it more than ever (I didn’t do any research but it sounds legit so go with it) to stay and feel connected.
But, of course, it is different to being in person. It can be more awkward than normal, because it’s harder to get a feel for the room and know when it’s a good time to talk or not.
When I’ve done the group video calls, whether with friends or family, there are more awkward moments of silence. And if you’re like me, those are the moments you dread, and every new idea or topic you can think of to bring up seems dumber than the previous one.
When these happen, my initial reaction is to just say, “Alright…” to signal that it’s time to go (anyone who’s talked to me just over the phone knows I tend to do this within the first few minutes because I’m worse on the phone than over video). But more often than not, if I sit through the awkwardness, there are some great laughs and conversations that take place.
And I think the same goes for our conversations with God. It can be awkward to try to sit in silence to listen. It can be awkward trying to pray and talk to God (do I look up, close my eyes, look at an image of Jesus…???)
But if we are willing to sit in that awkwardness, it can lead to some great conversations.
P.S. When the shelter-in-place is all over and we’re able to have normal conversations and be out and about, one thing we should try to do is keep our phones in our purses and pockets more often so we can be more present to the people we pass by and stand in line next to – the people we’ve been taking for granted.
