Hello....

Everyone has their own idea of the modern advancement they simply cannot imagine living without.  Society moves at a fast pace, and there have been many important inventions which have made our lives better in the last 100 years.  But for me, despite my love/hate relationship with it, the one thing I wouldn't want to live without is the cell phone.

I could live without the camera, the internet access, the fancy features.  I would be perfectly happy to choose between texting or calling.  But the miracle of being able to contact loved ones in the middle of a boring ten hour drive, when I am tired and need a boost, is incalculable.  A parent being able to contact their inexperienced driver, being able to communicate with a husband who spends his life on the road, being able to reach mom or dad wherever you are when you need help, solving a crisis at work while on vacation - those things are priceless.

Not being tied to a cord or a phone hanging on the wall has completely changed the world.  There are downsides, of course.  People cannot disconnect, and it makes it all too easy to have conversations that should not be had.  Technology is a tool, and like all tools, there are dangers in misusing it.  But I think the benefits outweigh the risks by a wide margin.  I marvel at the ability to communicate any time, any where, each time I send a text or make a call.  It is, in short, still a miracle to me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to live in a time that makes communicating with distant loved ones so easy.

In Genesis 11:6 it says,

"The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them."

The people became arrogant in their knowledge, and the Lord scattered and confused them.  That is the danger of such powerful technology - that we forget the wisdom and knowledge come from God, and without him, we use it for ill purposes.  But used properly, and with appropriate respect for others, it is a very positive development.

Dear Lord, today I am grateful I can carry the tool of immediate communication in my back pocket.  It has changed the world, and my life.  The skill and knowledge came from you, and it has provided me with comfort and peace countless times through this modern advancement.  Amen.