Christian insprirational

You Owe a Fine

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“You owe $3.40 in overdue book fines at the library.” I sat staring at the e-mail. It was impossible. It was a mistake. I always return my library books on time, and I never have fines for overdue books – never. Let me tell you that the daily fine on a library book is not very much. So to get to over $3.00, I must have kept these books out way past the due date. As I read and re-read the e-mail, I began to feel kind of stupid. I felt like this was a little detail that should not have been overlooked. How did I manage to miss the previous notes announcing the due date for the books? Do I just have too many things going on? Am I starting to lose my ability to concentrate? Am I missing other details that may carry a fine with them? What is going on here?

While still pondering these questions last Sunday morning, I heard a message from Pastor Mike that shed some light on the subject. Pastor was talking about being present. He gave examples of how we are not always present in our world – to God, ourselves, or one another. The example he gave that stuck with me was when we are talking to someone face-to-face and the cell phone rings. How often have I turned from my conversation partner to answer that call? How often have I interrupted a dialogue and rudely turned my attention to the little blinking, beeping thing I have assigned to the status of life-sustainer?

I get that this might be a stretch for some folks, but go with me on this one. I started thinking about all the time I spend spinning around in my life with thoughts fighting for attention, interruptions of processes I have started, and ignoring the things and/or people that really matter. Okay, okay maybe the library fine is not such a big deal. But the principle and resulting questions remain the same. Why am I not fully present in my world? Why am I so fragmented? More importantly, how can I fix this?

I decided to start by truly examining my own personal focus and meditation time in the mornings. YIKES. My observation was that when I got into a state of worship, seeking, and thanksgiving, my mental cell phone rang. I habitually informed the Lord, “Sorry. I really have to take this. I’ll be right back. You don’t mind do you?” Rarely did I wait for a response. I just quickly turned my attention to the intrusive thought before the Lord could object.

Finally, it dawned on me that this simple action had begun to set the course for my day. I was just running from one thing to another, without really focusing on anything. I was missing important information. I was missing important appointments. I was missing God’s blessings around me. I was missing my life.

So I prayed to be forgiven for my self-absorption and my failure to focus enough to realize what is important in my life. I asked God to bring me into a state of consciousness that honored Him, me, and others. Then I, of course, went into my local library (with a hangdog look), and admitted I had been remiss. The sweet young lady behind the counter said, “No big deal. We are all square now. Fine is paid. Don’t give it another thought. Go have a good day.”

It should come as no surprise that this is not only what happened at my library, it is what happened with God. He let me know that we are all square now. I was not to give it another thought, and was to go live my life – differently. Thankfully, unlike the library, there was no fine.

Thank you, Pastor Mike, for using a simple gismo to demonstrate how easy it is to sometimes live life in a fragmented and unhealthy state. Your message gave me cause to pause, reflect, and respond. As a result of this little jolt, Pastor Mike’s message, and a new awareness, I am now attempting to keep my attention to God, me, others, and my world from falling into the status of “overdue.”

Copyright July 2013, Laura L. Padgett Lakewood, Co

Connect with me, Laura Padgett, on Twitter @lauraleepadgett or my Facebook Author Page

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“Dolores, Like the River,” available at Westbow Press, Barnes & NobleAmazon and all major online retailers. If you live in the U.S. and would like an autographed copy sent directly to you, click on the tab for buying books on my home page

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6 thoughts on “You Owe a Fine”

  1. Good morning!

    I’m dropping in to #TheocentricThursday participants this week and leaving links to who they are supposed to comment on this week to make sure everyone understands how it works. It works best for the host’s recordkeeping if everyone clicks the links on the actual blog hop, but when it comes right down to it, we’re more concerned with everyone receiving at least two comments per week! Entrants are only eligible for featured post status if they follow the rules of reading commenting on the two posts they are assigned.

    Your posts this week are:
    #27 http://www.inlinkz.com/displayurl.php?id=23962914
    and
    #1 http://www.inlinkz.com/displayurl.php?id=24039119

    Please let me know if you have any questions!
    Blessings,
    Carrie Ann Tripp

  2. What a great illustration! I am getting better and better at “forgetting” my phone at home. Turning off notifications. Not responding immediately–intentionally. Putting my phone in my bedroom with the door closed during family time.

    And guess what?

    I’ve missed a few calls and texts. I’ve inconvenienced my own teenagers trying to get a hold of me when they actually needed something. I’ve missed out on a few things.

    It’s still worth it. For generations our families weren’t available to everyone 24/7 and they were fine. Unplugging in order to truly connect isn’t going to cause us undue harm.

  3. Lovely connections here! Glad I stopped by. Coming to you from #EspressosofFaith via #TheocentricThursdays! I definitely need to stop living so fragmented. Much to ponder here. Thank you! 🙂 Blessings!

    1. Thanks Bonnie Lyn. I will go check out your post today or tomorrow too. I am traveling to see my grand kids and great nieces/nephews. Trying to keep that phone in the purse unless I need to connect with their folks while we are out and about. Great time to just live in the moments. They go by so quickly. Blessings back to you and thanks again.

  4. Hello from Theocentric Thursdays! I can make you feel better about your library fines. We moved to a new area and the library had rules that were unlike what we’d experienced in our hometown. Specifically, not all items were checked out for three weeks at a time, so all those great magazines I checked out so gleefully and the music CDs I borrowed–and kept–for three weeks were actually only one-week items. Imagine my shock when I went to check out more goodies and had a fine…for $51. All those magazines and CDs that were two weeks late, unbeknownst to me, added up fast. I felt like an idiot and felt sick. $51 is a lot of money to us! I tried to comfort myself with knowing that money at least went to the library system. It still hurts though. But I’m human and imperfect and it was an honest mistake and now I know. Lovely post!

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