Dear Millennial,

Let me begin by saying that if anyone understands it is me. I enjoy texting my boyfriend all day, I love being able to see what my friends have been up to on Instagram, and it's really cool to be able to find an answer to any question that I may have at any given moment. However, I've quickly began to realize that it does more damage than it does good. We've simply lost touch with one another.

I have always valued time spent with my family. However, it really wasn't until I have been in college that I have recognized the value of the conversations that I have with my family members. There is not a week that goes by that I do not visit my Nana or my Mamaw and Papaw, and there's not a day that goes by that I do not tell both of my parents about my day. The conversations that I have with each of them mean more to me then words could ever express. At the end of the day I will always carry with me the words that my Papaw teaches me, the advice that my Nana gives, and the insight my Mamaw provides, and that means more than any text message I could ever receive.

Smart phones have become what I call the silent killer. A lot of times we do not recognize it. In fact, we even make excuses today saying that it is just the way things are now; it has become our new way of life. While it may be tempting to believe, it is just not true.

Smart phones are silently killing our ability to think for ourselves. Smart phones are silently killing our ability to carry on an intellectual conversation face to face with another individual. Smart phones are killing our ability to relate to one another, and smart phones are killing our ability make the most of the time we have with our loved ones.

When you are surrounded by your loved ones I plead for you to put your phone down. The phone will still be there in a couple of hours, but the conversations you have with your family members will not be. There's nothing more valuable then a conversation with your grandparents. But, this generation has no clue what that means because the only conversations they have are what is through their phone.

So I challenge you this week. Put down your phone. Whenever you are hanging out with your friend or significant other don't check your Twitter feed. When you are visiting your grandparents don't even take your phone with you-- the snapchats can wait. When you are grabbing dinner with your friends leave your phone in your pocket. I promise you, the conversations that come to life are ones that you will cherish forever, and oddly enough it is refreshing to the soul. Let's take back the greatest gift God has given us... the relationships that we have with other people.