You wouldn't think, in an age of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, email, texts, and any number of other social media that we could possibly have a communication problem. I mean, really--there has never been a greater ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, than there is today. We have instant access to myriad forms of information exchange, so there should be no problem, right?
Wrong.
Sadly, that is very, very wrong. I contend that one of the greatest downfalls of our society, and societies around the developed world, is our inability to effectively communicate with each other. Oh, we communicate, all right; but the key is effective communication. There is a big difference.
We have all heard the stats; non-verbal communication constitutes at least 2/3 of what we convey to each other. When we only communicate via electronic devices, we lose that. What we are left with is 1/3 of what we are trying to say. Try living off 1/3 of your paycheck and see how effective that is!
Also, when that 1/3 is reduced to 180 characters or less, we further remove vital pieces of emotion, nuance, and personality, cutting the very heart out of our intended message. Adding an emoticon at the end of a text just doesn't cut it, folks:(
What we are left with is a sterile, voiceless, nearly meaningless jumble of abbreviations, half sentences, and auto-correct nightmares. The result is a total failure to communicate, and the effect on society is . . . devastating.
That is not even broaching the subject of what staring at electrified pixels is doing to our brains and the brains of our children, and our ability to have a true face-to-face conversation. Take a look around the next time you are in a restaurant and see how many are talking, and how many are staring at their smart phones. Sadly, the cliche, "My phone is smarter than me," isn't far from the truth anymore.
I do not miss the irony of posting this diatribe on a blog, which I will then link to Facebook. But as Paul said, "When in Rome . . ."
I'm not sure what the answer to this problem is, but I am sure that it is not to continue down the road we are on. Take time to look someone in the eye, think about what you want to say, and express it fully. You just might be surprised at the result.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Rain, Rain, Go Away . . .
Rain, rain, go away; come again some other day.
Like maybe next year! We've had our fill for now, haven't we? Here in Central Illinois, everything is flooded. Everywhere along the streets we see hoses and pipes running full stream as sump pumps run incessantly to fight the deluge invading our basements. For some, unfortunately, that has been a losing battle. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt to prove it. Well, maybe not the shirt part, but you get my gist . . .
Sometimes I have to wonder about the rain in our lives. Not the literal rain that falls from the sky, but that other type of rain, the flood of events that enter our lives which is sometimes a blessing, and other times, well, it's just too much of a good thing.
Take challenges, for instance. Challenges are opportunities, as the saying goes, which help us grow and improve. Like an athlete in training, without challenges we would never become stronger, never be faster, never be better at what we are trying to accomplish. If never tested, we never become more than we are. We become stagnate, stale, and frankly, risk losing the race. Rain in the form of challenges is good.
Until it becomes an overwhelming flood.
We've all been there, when so many "opportunities for growth and improvement" are thrown at us that feel like we are, indeed, drowning. We become so deeply immersed in the tidal wave of challenges that the waters of opportunity become a quagmire of anxiety, exhaustion, and failure.
That is when I call out, "Rain, rain, go away . . ."
What I really do is call out to God. I ask Him to either stop the flood or give me the strength to face each challenge in a way that is glorifying to Him and, secondly, strengthening for me. The story of Job is a good example of that. If ever a man was challenged, it was Job. His flood of opportunities were meant to prove his faithfulness to God, and he won the race. Do you think Job was stronger on the other side of his experience? I sure do.
So, when the floods come, I try to think of Job. I pray that in my life I never face such a cataclysmic flood as did he, but if I ever do, I ask God that He give me the strength to battle the currents long enough to finish the race, and be stronger on the other side.
Like maybe next year! We've had our fill for now, haven't we? Here in Central Illinois, everything is flooded. Everywhere along the streets we see hoses and pipes running full stream as sump pumps run incessantly to fight the deluge invading our basements. For some, unfortunately, that has been a losing battle. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt to prove it. Well, maybe not the shirt part, but you get my gist . . .
Sometimes I have to wonder about the rain in our lives. Not the literal rain that falls from the sky, but that other type of rain, the flood of events that enter our lives which is sometimes a blessing, and other times, well, it's just too much of a good thing.
Take challenges, for instance. Challenges are opportunities, as the saying goes, which help us grow and improve. Like an athlete in training, without challenges we would never become stronger, never be faster, never be better at what we are trying to accomplish. If never tested, we never become more than we are. We become stagnate, stale, and frankly, risk losing the race. Rain in the form of challenges is good.
Until it becomes an overwhelming flood.
We've all been there, when so many "opportunities for growth and improvement" are thrown at us that feel like we are, indeed, drowning. We become so deeply immersed in the tidal wave of challenges that the waters of opportunity become a quagmire of anxiety, exhaustion, and failure.
That is when I call out, "Rain, rain, go away . . ."
What I really do is call out to God. I ask Him to either stop the flood or give me the strength to face each challenge in a way that is glorifying to Him and, secondly, strengthening for me. The story of Job is a good example of that. If ever a man was challenged, it was Job. His flood of opportunities were meant to prove his faithfulness to God, and he won the race. Do you think Job was stronger on the other side of his experience? I sure do.
So, when the floods come, I try to think of Job. I pray that in my life I never face such a cataclysmic flood as did he, but if I ever do, I ask God that He give me the strength to battle the currents long enough to finish the race, and be stronger on the other side.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Faithfulness in the Face of Fear
Sometimes it seems that God asks for a lot. I have two friends who are missionaries in West Africa. They are currently in Dakar, Senegal. Right across the street from the university where the guy from Guinea showed up with Ebola.
Scary, right?
Oh, and they have two children, 1 and 3, with them.
Holy smokes, Batman, I'm outta here!
That would likely be my response. I mean, nothing is worth risking my life and the lives of my family in the face of a contagious, incurable disease, right?
Wrong.
Want to know what my friends are asking? Not what is safest, not what is best for them or their family, not what other people think, but rather, "What does God want us to do?"
It's not like they do not understand the situation, or that they are ignorant of the risks; they know fear, but they simply have the bigger picture plainly in view. God put them there for a reason, and they want to be very sure He is ready for them to leave before they do so. They want, more than anything, to be faithful to God's will.
Faithfulness. Fear. How often they seem to go together.
I pray that I never have to make a decision like the one my friends are faced with, but if I do, I pray that I will have the courage to consider God's will before my own, just like our friends are doing. I also realize, that even if I do not face a decision of the gravity of theirs, I make decisions every day that concern God. Everything concerns God, therefore every decision I make concerns Him as well. That made me stop and think: How often do I respond out of fear rather than faithfulness?
I fear what people may think, therefore I refrain from expressing my beliefs. I fear being the outcast, therefore I join the crowd. I fear rejection, therefore I isolate. Nowhere in there is faith to be found. Faith in God who can do all things. Faith in God who pulled Lot's family from Sodom. Faith in God who preserved Daniel in a den of lions. Faith in God who delivered Peter from prison. Faith in God who can protect a missionary family from a deadly virus.
"Be strong and courageous," God told Joshua. "Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." That from Joshua 1:9. Faithfulness in the face of fear.
Pray for Guy and his family that they would hear God's voice and have the courage to answer his call, whatever his will may be.
Scary, right?
Oh, and they have two children, 1 and 3, with them.
Holy smokes, Batman, I'm outta here!
That would likely be my response. I mean, nothing is worth risking my life and the lives of my family in the face of a contagious, incurable disease, right?
Wrong.
Want to know what my friends are asking? Not what is safest, not what is best for them or their family, not what other people think, but rather, "What does God want us to do?"
It's not like they do not understand the situation, or that they are ignorant of the risks; they know fear, but they simply have the bigger picture plainly in view. God put them there for a reason, and they want to be very sure He is ready for them to leave before they do so. They want, more than anything, to be faithful to God's will.
Faithfulness. Fear. How often they seem to go together.
I pray that I never have to make a decision like the one my friends are faced with, but if I do, I pray that I will have the courage to consider God's will before my own, just like our friends are doing. I also realize, that even if I do not face a decision of the gravity of theirs, I make decisions every day that concern God. Everything concerns God, therefore every decision I make concerns Him as well. That made me stop and think: How often do I respond out of fear rather than faithfulness?
I fear what people may think, therefore I refrain from expressing my beliefs. I fear being the outcast, therefore I join the crowd. I fear rejection, therefore I isolate. Nowhere in there is faith to be found. Faith in God who can do all things. Faith in God who pulled Lot's family from Sodom. Faith in God who preserved Daniel in a den of lions. Faith in God who delivered Peter from prison. Faith in God who can protect a missionary family from a deadly virus.
"Be strong and courageous," God told Joshua. "Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." That from Joshua 1:9. Faithfulness in the face of fear.
Pray for Guy and his family that they would hear God's voice and have the courage to answer his call, whatever his will may be.
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