Nomophobia

Last weekend I went to Omaha for a friend's wedding.  On the morning of my return trip, with a 10 hour drive ahead of me, my new phone's touch screen decided to stop working.  Do you know what happens when your touch screen doesn't work?  Your phone doesn't work.  Stupid smart phones.

I'll admit it, I panicked. 

Do you know what the fear of being without  your phone is called? Nomophobia.  Go ahead and laugh, but it's a real thing people.  I may or may not have this phobia.  And in the words of the late Amy Winehouse, "They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said, no, no, no."  Instead, I panicked. 

Here I was, all by myself, in a vehicle that has a few miles on her, about to drive 10hours on two lane roads through the middle of nowhere America WITHOUT MY PHONE.  This means no music.  This means no podcasts.  This means no phone calls to friends when I'm getting sleepy.  This means no constantly having to check in with my mom like I'm 17. (Don't tell her, but I kinda appreciate knowing she's looking out for me when I'm traveling). 

I felt extremely anxious and instantly disconnected.

Ironically, the weekend itself was full of reconnecting.  I spent good quality time with a lot of good friends.  Laughing, sharing life, being ridiculous.  We talked about our struggles and brokenness.  We shared stories about the good in our lives.  We celebrated.  We cried a few tears.  We thanked God for the gift of friends.  And it felt SO good.  I left there feeling refreshed.  Feeling ready to tackle life with all of its many obstacles.

Having such a fresh reminder of the importance of connectedness followed so quickly by a sudden flare up of my nomophobia, I realized just how important community is.

Life is hard.  And if you've read a newspaper or watched the news in the last few months it doesn't look to be getting any easier.  We need each other.  In Hebrews 10:24-25 it says, "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one other and all the more as you see the day drawing near." 

Living in community with others takes work.  It's being willing to enter into another person's mess.  It's being willing to let other people into your mess.  It takes patience.  It begs vulnerability.  And it requires heaps of grace.  But when we are connected with others, life is sweet.  We can bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), they can bear ours.  We are mutually encouraging (1 Thes 5:11).  We are challenged.  We grow (Prov 27:17).

I was able to connect with a friend that morning who was willing to take a different route home so that she could caravan with her ridiculous friend who was suffering from an extreme case of nomophobia.  She let me freak out for a bit.  She made me laugh.  She drank a cup of coffee with me while we waited for the Verizon store to open.  She waited with me until I had my new *working* phone in hand and gas tank filled.  She was there.  It was a small thing, really.  But in that moment it felt really huge. 

I don't know what it looks like for you, or what it's going to take to make it happen in your life, but find community.  Get connected.  Share life.  Because in the midst of this crazy messy world, life really can be sweet.