Side note: this one is written as much for myself as it is anyone else.....
Communication is easier now than it has ever been. Whenever we need to get in touch with someone we can call, e-mail, or text regardless of where we are or where they are at. Geography isn't an issue either. We can instantly send a message to somebody halfway around the world. Some people even text each other while they are in the same house mainly because they don't want to expend the effort to get up and walk into the other room. Without much effort, we are almost always connected if we want to be.
But have you thought about what we may be losing when we depend more on electronic contact and less on face to face communications? Our deepest, most meaningful relationships develop in one on one time and extended conversation. Where we are with others, we understand them much better. We can read the other persons facial expressions, pick up on emotional responses, and communicate our own feelings more clearly. The result is more interaction and ultimately more substance.
I believe that if Jesus had all the communication tools we have today that He would still choose to spend His time face to face with His disciples. He would still heal people by touching them and be close enough to them that when He spoke to them they could hear the compassion in His voice. His presence in itself would be meaningful. God designed relationships to be developed and strengthened through personal face to face interaction with others. That is how we truly bond with other people.
The tools that are available to us these days are wonderful. It is great to be able to stay in touch with people anywhere, anytime, and I wouldn't want to go back to being unable to contact someone easily when I am on the road or out of town, especially when it is an urgent need or situation that I need to attend to. I like being able to keep in touch with my kids regardless of where they are. But when I start to depend on technology as a substitute for one on one time with each of them, I miss an important key factor to building strong relationships. I have found that when I form a "virtual" bond, I am forsaking the benefits of true human interaction. We all need to make sure that we aren't so connected with everything out there that we miss the chance to connect with the people directly in front of us.
"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too." Philippians 2:3-4
Communication is easier now than it has ever been. Whenever we need to get in touch with someone we can call, e-mail, or text regardless of where we are or where they are at. Geography isn't an issue either. We can instantly send a message to somebody halfway around the world. Some people even text each other while they are in the same house mainly because they don't want to expend the effort to get up and walk into the other room. Without much effort, we are almost always connected if we want to be.
But have you thought about what we may be losing when we depend more on electronic contact and less on face to face communications? Our deepest, most meaningful relationships develop in one on one time and extended conversation. Where we are with others, we understand them much better. We can read the other persons facial expressions, pick up on emotional responses, and communicate our own feelings more clearly. The result is more interaction and ultimately more substance.
I believe that if Jesus had all the communication tools we have today that He would still choose to spend His time face to face with His disciples. He would still heal people by touching them and be close enough to them that when He spoke to them they could hear the compassion in His voice. His presence in itself would be meaningful. God designed relationships to be developed and strengthened through personal face to face interaction with others. That is how we truly bond with other people.
The tools that are available to us these days are wonderful. It is great to be able to stay in touch with people anywhere, anytime, and I wouldn't want to go back to being unable to contact someone easily when I am on the road or out of town, especially when it is an urgent need or situation that I need to attend to. I like being able to keep in touch with my kids regardless of where they are. But when I start to depend on technology as a substitute for one on one time with each of them, I miss an important key factor to building strong relationships. I have found that when I form a "virtual" bond, I am forsaking the benefits of true human interaction. We all need to make sure that we aren't so connected with everything out there that we miss the chance to connect with the people directly in front of us.
"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too." Philippians 2:3-4
Comments
Post a Comment