Phone or Family

     "In a minute Sarah, let me finish reading this.""In a minute Sarah, let Daddy finish this phone call.""Not now Sarah, Dad's watching the game."Does this sound familiar to anyone else?Being a Dad has truly revealed how selfish I really am.I was recently in Nashville meeting with church leaders (all of who were awesome by the way) and had the opportunity to engage with them on a number of life topics, most notably family.We talked about balancing the time with your wife and kids with the time spent doing everything else. I was glad to see I wasn't alone in the struggle.Yet, there seemed to be something within me that was saying, "They seem to have it all figured out, and I know what I should do, but I still don't always do it."I love my daughter and my wife so very much. I could NOT have imagined a better blessing from God in the partner that Dawn is and the daughter that Sarah is.I want to continue to honor them, bless them, and most importantly, be present with them.So why do I often choose to check the sports scores, or stare at Facebook or Twitter instead of playing a board game or have a conversation with my daughter?"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Romans 7:15 ESV)I'm thankful for God's grace and forgiveness and knowing that he provides mercy every morning. I need it, because I'm a sinner. I'm a guy who loves Jesus and believes with all my heart that he is the way, the truth and the life.  And yet I continue to struggle with choosing the created things above the creator.Since I've owned an iPhone, I've had an issue of constantly "checking" social media. I love social media, especially Twitter. I love that you can connect with so many different people from so many different walks of life from all over the world. I love that I can get information in an instant. I love that there is a way to make a living being social media producer. I'm blessed and thankful to be one of those people.  However, separating work social media from home social media hasn't been an easy journey. In fact, it's been a constant battle with my family.I was so busy doing plenty of good things, that I often neglected doing the one great thing .. being present with my wife and daughter.It used to be that I'd wake up in the morning, and even before I'd pray and say thank you to God for seeing another day, I'd pick up my phone and see what I missed during the 8 hours I was sleeping. At the end of the day, I'd bring the phone to bed, check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and then go back and check it again. And again, and again.The tipping point for me came when I was laying in bed, and holding the phone above my head, reading the score recap of the Mets game and BOOM ... the phone dropped on my head. That was the last straw. No more phones in bed.It's been 4 months since I decided to leave my phone downstairs on the charger and not bring it up to bed. Not going to lie, I've broken this rule a few times, but for the most part, I've been successful. Baby steps, right?I'm asking that you'd pray for me that I can continue to be more present with my family. Pray that the things of this world don't get in the way with what is most important ... God's love for us, for me, and my family.Do you struggle with this same thing? If you do, I'd love to walk this struggle with you. I'd love to pray for you, to encourage you and most of all, to believe God's mercy is new for you and I each and every morning."The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)[embed]https://twitter.com/JasonRomano/status/579317325419159552[/embed]