The word loitering has shades of meanings based on the context. "Loitering" means to linger in a public or private space with no apparent, legal, or legitimate purpose. Here are some everyday scenarios where someone might be perceived as "loitering" without any ill intent:
School Intervals: When children take a break between classes and walk around the corridor or take a bathroom break in school are considered as loitering by teachers.
Waiting for a friend: Lingering outside a store or building for an extended period while waiting for someone can be mistaken for loitering, especially by staff or security.
Being a lost pedestrian: A person who is lost and stops to check his/her phone or map could be perceived as loitering by a passerby, even if they are only temporarily idle.
Chatting as a group: A group of friends gathering and talking in a parking lot or outside a business, but their presence can still make others uncomfortable.
A new form of loitering has emerged with the digital age. We endlessly scroll through social media and get addicted to it. We post/repost or just skim through contents for hours eventually becoming an addict. But we fail to understand its unknown snares. We are hooked on it for happiness, having no purpose and to fill our void due to loneliness but later it becomes a snare.
In the digital age, loitering is culminated to phubbing. Majority of people are phubbing. Phubbing is the act of ignoring someone in a social situation by prioritizing your phone. This behavior can negatively impact relationships by causing unhappiness, exclusion, and resentment, and even affect mental health. It occurs when one person is more focused on their smartphone than on the person they are with.
Based on recent research, people receive an average of 46 notifications on their phones per day, which equates to roughly one every 10 to 12 minutes during waking hours. However, the exact timing varies significantly depending on the user, their demographic, and the types of apps they have installed and their work culture. This means all of us get frequent notifications that distract us at any point of time.
Social psychologists and counsellors’ advice to find a good book, find a good movie, and spend time in building healthy habits. Though these are good suggestions, what a person misses to know is the purpose for his/her life. Your life purpose is not just physical but divine. Unless we try understanding our physical world with the spiritual view we would miss the life focus.
The greatest purpose of any human being is to know a true living God and have a fellowship with Him. Many choose to be entertained by distractions that amuses them. And others with religious duties which do nothing to the human soul. Good habits and spiritual obligations cannot transform you and your mind to make healthy choices. It can produce temporary satisfaction but still leave a void in your soul. And when your soul is void you end up loitering and being trapped by something that can hold you a slave for a long time .
The soul cannot be satiated with anything else other than God who made it. Jesus is the God of your heart, and He is not excited over your duties and obligations but longs for a relationship with you. He has promised to dwell in your heart. And that means your life will be free from any restlessness and loneliness. Learn to know Him more and stay transformed.
