When Not Everything Convenient is Great... a Five Minute Friday post.

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I have to say I miss the #fmfparty Twitter party and gathering with one of the most encouraging, supportive, fun and loving faith communities for writers online! Between health/eye issues, and limited screen time, and somehow agreeing to move our Bible study and Prayer group from Wednesdays to Thursdays... well, I haven't logged on or chimed in much over the past several months! Our meetings start at 7pm and every other week we meet in our home --so my hope is to get back on a schedule so I can at least pop in on those nights! Until then, I'm thankful to still play along --even if it is a day or two (or four --it's fine!) later! 

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: CONVENIENT

{GO!}


We often take modern conveniences for granted!  They are bright, shiny, happy when they are new and we sing their praises for how much time or money or impatience the said convenience saves us. But then it simply becomes part of our daily routine and before we know it, we are wanting something New and Improved all over again!

Through some long seasons of forced slowing down, I have been pondering how maybe not everything that we name Convenient is actually great --or even good!

We are masters of Multi-tasking, and yet we all talk about the need to be intentional and present! It's like an epidemic -how we are so scattered and unable to focus. It turns out multitasking isn't so convenient after all, right?

We want what we want and we want it now... thus the microwave of the olden days and the Insta-Pot of today...  


What used to take hours (weeks, months, years!) to grow/make/cook/create, can now be done in a fraction of the time. This isn't necessarily bad... but is it good?

I have been wondering lately what we may be missing... what kind of trade-off are we making and will it be worth it in the end?

We rush through life, in a hurry to get things checked off our lists and move on to the next thing - whatever that may be! - and I fear we are unaware of the true cost.

***

Y'all know how I like to look up the official definition of the word... this is how Convenient is defined:

1. Fitting in well with a person's needs, activities, and plans.

synonyms: suitable, appropriate, fitting, fit, suited, agreeable.

2. Involving little trouble or effort. 

3. Situated so as to allow easy access to.

It sounds perfect! I mean, who doesn't want things to be convenient and easy? Who doesn't want Life to involve little trouble or effort and still be successful and blessed?

Who wants to wait hours for dinner when it can be picked up from a drive-thru, delivered to your car or front door, or microwaved and go from freezer to family room in five minutes flat?

I read an article a few months ago --maybe longer-- about how we are raising an entire generation now who have always had access to screens and thus, the entire world is at their fingertips.  While the Millenials may be more charitable and more aware of global issues than older generations were, they are less likely to -- I don't know -- actually know their neighbors' names and lives, too!  

It seems many of us are feeling
the effects of "Convenience."

We are showing an extreme lack of patience... a lack of willingness to hear the whole story or opinion of someone who sees or feels or thinks differently than we do before turning the channel or cutting them off to speak our truth over theirs. We seem to have a super short attention span and an inability to focus for too long on a task - especially if it is one assigned to us, and not of our own choosing!

Yet we are also LONGING for deeper, real connections... 
We want to be known and seen and heard...
What we want (--what we really, really want--) well, it takes TIME!

And there is nothing convenient about things that take time when we are oh so short* of it these days, right?

But here's the thing:

With all of our Modern Conveniences,
how is it that we are lacking time?

Maybe in all the
New & Improved lifestyles, 
we have forgotten how to truly live!

Maybe - as it turns out -
what makes a life worth living
isn't great convenience,
but the Great Commission!

Something about making disciples
and about how our lives are not our own... 

{STOP!}

Listen... we say here all the time... 
Love Wins.  
He is a good, good Father and 
Jesus is after our whole hearts! 
We talk about how our God is Relational
and  He made us in His image
and there's not much convenient
about loving everybody, always...
and yet --that is the Call!

That is the purpose of every person...
to Speak Life... to Be Love... to Shine On!

Maybe, just maybe, all of the 'time' we are saving with these Conveniences is so that we could reinvest it all into the lives of the people all around us?

Maybe we get stuck on the 'little trouble or effort' definition but He is wanting us to focus on the 'situated so as to allow easy access' part that will draw all men unto Him?

I type that out and think back to the season not too many years ago when the Lord would whisper softly, "But who told you that you could have a Comfort Zone?"

It seems the 'time savers' that we have embraced have removed the 'opportunities' to learn patience and to truly connect with one another!

I don't know about you... but this year, I am embracing Joy and finding that most of my Joy comes in those unexpected opportunities to slow down and be present!

May we at least be willing to sometimes trade Convenience for Connection and instead of letting impatience surface, let's let Grace rise up and let's purpose to let Love Win!

* = This is when my Five Minutes was officially over! Thanks for the Grace, friends, to finish my thought!

Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays give us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about "CONVENIENT"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk about food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second-guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!

Photos courtesy of Unsplash from 

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer community linked below:

Crystal Twaddell for #FreshMarketFriday

Mary Geisen for #TellHisStory

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

Sue Donaldson for #LetsHaveCoffee

NEW EPISODE AVAILABLE TODAY! Maybe somehow you don't know this, but we have our very own (somewhat non-blog-related) podcast called THE CHANGING OUR MINDS PODCAST! Karrilee and her all grown up Girlie co-host this podcast and talk about Oh So Many random things!  Faith plays a part, sure... but it is more like joining us for coffee as we catch up on the couch or sitting at the table! We talk about whatever is on our minds and often reveal things that we used to think we know... but we've changed our minds! We'd love to have you join us at the Table or a comfy couch as we catch up over a cup of something yummy and share life together! We invite you to SUBSCRIBE here to have the Podcast sent to your preferred listening device so you won't miss a thing! Also, follow us on Facebook to join in on the conversations!