At work, I regularly call my customers, otherwise known as claimants, those unfortunate people who cannot work due to various disabling conditions, whether physical or psychological. I listen to their complaints regarding symptoms that persist. Showing empathy is something I value after being temporarily disabled myself, out of work for three months due to open heart surgery in 2016.

For those claimants who are improving, I usually ask if they have any plans to return to work or if it’s out of the question. And one of the frequent responses I get involves their need to shift or change positions throughout the day, like moving from sitting to standing to walking, especially if they’ve undergone a back, shoulder or neck surgery. In other words, from their perspective, they would return to the workforce if they could find an employer that accommodated their needs.

Humans aren’t the only ones who need to shift or change positions. In the early morning hours before dawn, on most weekdays, I go downstairs with a mug of hot coffee in tow to what I call the secret place in our den. There, I turn on a lamp and sit in a recliner with a blanket, a journal, a pen, a devotional and a Bible.

Behind my chair is a door that goes into our garage. And on the other side of that door Bentley and Sadie, our Labrador Retrievers, are fast asleep on their beds. But from my chair, sometimes I hear them shift or change positions when they slam their 90-pound bodies against the door a few times until they get settled.

In my job, I only have two positions to choose from. Working a sedentary job is not a healthy one, because it involves sitting most of the day, except for when I utilize my standing desk. And something happens when I hit the button on my desk, and it raises to the height that agrees with my 5’ 8” stature. Standing on my feet, instead of sitting comfortably, creates a greater intensity with my work when I shift to focus.

And as I finish spending time with God on those early mornings, before the workday begins, I’m tempted to pray from my chair instead of getting on my knees. Something happens when I shift to focus and move to an uncomfortable position. I think about my words and pray more earnestly. I don’t speed through my conversations with God. When I shift to focus, I feel closer to God as compared to sitting in a La-Z-Boy.

Is it possible or is it too late for people to shift to focus away from their smart phones? What if we talked to God as much as we texted people? What would that relationship with Abba (Greek for spiritual Daddy) look like? How would our spiritual lives be different?

We bend our thumbs scrolling on Instagram Threads more than we bend our knees in prayer. Why not shift to focus and see what God does.

all pictures courtesy of pexels.com