Remember life before e-mail? Neither can I. I know that it had something to do with stamps and 3 to 4 days' delivery time. My brother says he remembers a time when a 3 minute phone call across the country cost around $10. I think he's telling me fiction.

We now have instant communications. TXT messages...Blackberry...smart phones...IM...If you have to wait for anything, it's for someone to pick up the phone or open their inbox or just turn on their PC.

Instant communication is possible, even with God. For Him, we don't have to dial or find His address. Still, we communicate more with each other than we do with Him sometimes. I think sometimes we don't talk with Him because we haven't learned how to hear His responses. Other times, we get impatient when he holds off on answering us. That's where I am this week. I'm in a situation where I need to hear from Him. I need his direction and guidance. All I get is...be patient and wait.

Patience...now there's a fruit of the spirit that's overlooked in today's society. If we have to wait more than 90 seconds for a burger at a drive thru, we get antsy. Coffee...something that should be savored and slowly sipped...is now handed through a window to your car for you to chug as you battle traffic. Espresso is now expresso.

When was the last time you sat and sipped some joe and watched birds out your window? When did last have the time to "be still" and know that He is God? Ironically, your location, whether it's lower Manhattan or a farm in Iowa, has little to do with your ability to sit still and be patient. Those are the times God can speak to you and you have the best opportunity to listen. It is the Christian art of meditation. And in today's instant message society, it's becoming a lost art.

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