What a Smartphone Taught me About Faith

Sometimes you own things and sometimes they own you.

I was at a mini retreat on Sunday and a friend, Chip, was constantly checking his iPhone.  I figured that his lovely wife, Aida, would have kicked him under the table but she apparently has gotten used to his 24/7 online status. Either that or he's setting up a new gadget to his liking.

Having recently switched from an iPhone to an Android smartphone, I've been deep in that same mode.  Tweaking, checking and getting the new phone do what I want it to do... I've gotten a kick or two from my wife along the way.

I switched away from an iPhone after having jailbroken my previous iPhone 5 (translation: "jailbreak" = a geeky move you can do on your iPhone to allow for cool features).  Wanting more flexibility and personalization, Android was the perfect option. Everything I loved about a jailbroken iPhone, I can now do on my Google Nexus 4 and more.  It took me a while to give myself permission to switch.  After all, aren't all of the cool kids using iPhones?

Then I read about another iPhone guru who switched to Android.   If he could do it, I could too.

Faith is sort of like this as well.  It's got to be your own.  If you were to take an All Star Saints photo of this century, it would probably include Mother Theresa, Padre Pio and Maximilian Kolbe.  We have tons to learn from them and we ought to familiarize ourselves with their lifestyle and Gospel message.  All three were amazing.

But at the end of the day, your faith is yours and not Mother Theresa's.  After all, you can do things that she could not.  God has special plans for you that He did not apply to Maximilian Kolbe, amazing as that may sound.  

So when it all comes down to it, whether you are an iPhone or an Android user, make it your own.  Just like your faith and walk with God.  Get into it.  Enjoy the ride because no other person has the exact same experience.

Challenge: Pray today for the grace of knowing how exactly your relationship with God is different from that of others.

Photo courtesy of FDP