Issue 068
Have you noticed how contactable you are? According to a Gallup poll the average working day consists of 171 messages, 36 phone calls, 15 internal memos, 19 items of external post and 22 emails.
Clearly this applies to a certain type of worker, but nevertheless we work in a culture of billions of pieces of communication. The shear volume of all these communications is for many an overwhelming experience and source of stress. Others treat the number of emails received as a status symbol and sign of their importance. Try writing quietly on a train journey and you’ll soon become aware of an orchestra of ring tones and a choir of half-conversations accompanying your activity.
It is traditional in a piece like this to criticise this deluge of information; this is not the point; these tools can be hugely useful, time-saving and life enhancing. The point is that being constantly contactable is a Divine characteristic and prerogative; a characteristic which presents a tremendous opportunity for us. If we’re tempted to be constantly contactable e will be drained, exhausted and made shallow by the experience, as well as guilty of trying to play God.
There are appropriate and essential times when we, as humans, need to become uncontactable by phone, email, text or fax, and follow Jesus’ advice to go to our rooms, close the door and pray to our Father in secret.
To avail ourselves of this particular contactability we need to become uncontactable to others. To spend time in God’s refreshing presence means that when we emerge we will actually be much better equipped to say something, through whatever medium we choose. Many have a terror of being uncontactable. The real terror is to lose touch with our Father without whose presence in our work all our communications become informational noise.
Matthew 6:6
6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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Work well
Geoff Shattock
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