In Convenience or Inconvenience?

One of the marks of today’s society is convenience. Just this morning I popped a container into my one-cup coffee maker and within a minute, I held a cup of hot fresh coffee.

Last week, while having lunch with a group of women, one friend questioned the validity of a comment. Out came cell phones to Google and verify the statement. My Mom used a wringer washer for years but eventually an automatic washer was a time-saver. Microwaves have ushered in a new era of cooking. We save time when we leave a voicemail and don’t have to make repeated calls to reach a live voice. Computers, and cutting and pasting documents have replaced manual typewriters, carbon paper, and white-out for mistakes. Walking from one end of a parking lot to a store entrance is inconvenient. As the holiday season approaches, we may prefer order on-line shopping rather than deal with busy parking lots and crowded stores.

Yes, we have conveniences that make our lives easier and leave time to move on and do other things when we want.

Convenience: The quality of being suitable to one's comfort, purposes, or needs.

So...

I check caller-id and decide not to answer.

I choose a vending machine snack or fast food with empty calories rather than cook at home.

I email or text rather than talk to a person…

     because taking time is inconvenient: troublesome; a difficulty, or a hindrance (to my agenda)

I determine it’s inconvenient because I am IN (my) convenience and don’t want to be interrupted. But…

What if the caller needs to talk and it is a divine appointment to answer?

What if less fast food would change my physical condition and I’d be more fit with more energy?

What if talking instead of a texting or email reveals nuances and meaning not apparent in print?

What if I let someone go ahead of me in the checkout line at a supermarket and their day is less frazzled?

What if ignoring my inconvenience becomes someone else’s convenience and I contribute to their comfort or needs? 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 (ESV)

Can you set out tomorrow to not to live in your convenience, but to be inconvenienced? You might see a smile on someone’s face, hear one in their voice, or have more energy because you passed the vending machine. Tell us your discoveries.