By Tyler Graeff and Bryan Sampson
While reading through the gospels I can’t help but notice how intentional Jesus was with connecting with people. Time and time again in the word, we see Jesus interacting with one person in front of him, i.e. the demoniac, the woman at the well, the lame man, and countless more. Jesus was intentional and personable with the person in front of Him. I am challenged in my own walk to be the same. How often I have been guilty of being on my phone or checking emails when out to dinner with friends or in the presence of good company or even being inquired upon by an intern or student. Today it is all too common to be in an important conversation or meeting and being challenged to remain fully present and engaged with those in the room.
Witt (2018) emphasizes the need to embrace the skill of in-person (incarnational) conversation. This is what God did by becoming incarnate in Jesus Christ. We must be present with those we are in conversation with face-to-face. Focus on the person in the room, give them your full attention. And if you must take a text message or incoming call, apologize and ask permission to do so.
Texting and emails are a great blessing for communication; however, many times we can misread the delivery one uses to communicate. Many times I have read an email and thought that a person was being harsh with me, when the complete opposite was being communicated by the sender. When conflict needs resolving, it is best to do this in person (incarnational) rather than through technology.
Technology can be a blessing when it is used to glorify God, we just don’t want it to cause us to become so impersonal that people do not feel the love and connection from us and the God who lives within us. Let’s challenge ourselves to become more like Christ, so people experience the incarnational love of Christ through us. Jesus sets the example of what it looks like when another person is in our company. Are we giving that person the attention they need? Are we being intentional to create space and distance from technology, considering all of the ministering and training opportunities presented to us?
Let us pray today that God will give us the discernment and the power to use technology and build personal relationships in a way that brings him the most glory.