The world is speeding up; no one wants to wait. I am showing my age, but I remember when it would take minutes for the Internet to load. Dial up. The younger generation could not last one day of my childhood, but then again I don’t think I could last a day in theirs.

Often I go for coffee and see a group of friends sitting looking at their phones, occasionally chatting to one another about what someone has posted on Facebook or Snap chat. Sitting at the same table but miles apart.

Is spending time with friends not about spending time with friends?

I am all for technology as a tool, but it is starting to take the upper hand.

Even the way we pay has changed. Now there is contactless, where you can pay by just hovering your card over the card reader. When the assistant asked me the other day, do you want to go contactless?

It dawned on me, that’s what the world is slowly becoming; contact less.

Communication is getting faster, but people are drifting apart. Where is God in all this? Sadly on the sidelines; only to be called on if something goes wrong.

With constant notifications popping up every few minutes, I know too well how hard it is to pull yourself away.

What can we do, well, like all change it starts with you.

It’s so important to take time each day to connect with nature; leave the phone on silent for a while. You will be surprised at what a difference it will make.

When the mind and body is relaxed, pain and tension subside. An idea can come out of nowhere to solve a problem that has been stressing you out for some time.

Even in the writing of this, I realize that I need to take my own advice. There is always something to do; even when I am resting my mind is always active.

It’s a mental break that is needed.

With constant stimulation from morning to night, you can push yourself for weeks and even months without noticing, you are slowly getting run down; to the point that pain or illness sets in.

God has a way of slowing us down; it is for our benefit in the long term— although, it may not seem that way at the time.

Unaware that it is self-inflicted, we go to the doctor, and he gives us some pills, resetting the balance for while.

Then a holiday comes in just the nick of time, but instead of being full of energy to go on adventures and visit friends near and far, we fall exhausted and spend most of the week in bed.

Take a mental break from the madness, start connecting face to face; turn off from the world, and see the difference it can make.

Enjoy your weekend and don’t forget father’s day.

Rev J Martin