“Be attentive to anything that adds a technological filter between you and the world God has created.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – February 9, 2023
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12, ESV
We live in a rapidly changing world. As I recently told my children, the rate of change and technological “breakthrough” that they are living through is unprecedented in the entire history of humanity. To give but one example, if the iPhone were a person, it wouldn’t even be old enough to drive a car! Yet, in less than 15 years, we’ve grown to accept supercomputers in our pockets as a fact of life and, in many ways, as essential as the air we breathe.
Of course, it is easy to see the benefits of technology. From medical advances that save lives to communication tools that keep us connected to those we love, there are great benefits to these resources. Yet what concerns me is the way we rarely pause to reflect on the way technology changes our relationship with the world, one another, and, ultimately, the Lord.
Here’s my word of caution to you today: be attentive to anything that adds a technological filter between you and the world God has created. Let me unpack this for just a moment.
One of the greatest gifts we have been given is the ability to know and be known. This begins with our ability to know ourselves and extends into life in community as we know those we love and with whom we share life. Yet as anyone who has navigated a long-distance relationship can attest, nothing can replace the gift of face to face relationship.
In part, this is because face-to-face interaction points us to our ultimate purpose and final destination. When we know and are known, it is a taste of the unfiltered, unmediated love of God that we will experience for eternity. Yes, our lives here are shadows, yet shadows can point us to the light and are still a taste of the real thing!
We are made for love, and in our daily choices, we are invited to order our lives more and more toward that ultimate end.
And so, I encourage you to begin to see ways, often subtle and small, that you have allowed filters and barriers to creep into your life that have the potential to distance you from the mystery and wonder of genuine connection.
Instead of texting, call. Instead of calling, meet in person. When you get home, put your phone, smartwatch, and any other connected device away in the closet and be fully present to the people in your house, untethered to the digital world that longs for your attention (and ultimately, your wallet!).
Cling to human connections, for in the mystery of God’s will, they make us more of who we are meant to be, and prepare us for a day in which we will see him face to face.
Prayer
Father, remind us not only of what is real, but what is good, beautiful, and true, and help us live lives in the present, even in our imperfection and weakness, that point and lead us to the perfect love of your kingdom, we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
What are the primary technological barriers between you and other people? How can you take small but meaningful steps toward the recovery of genuine connection?
Related Reading
Genesis 32:30; Exodus 33:11; Numbers 14:14
Worship Resource
Keith & Kristyn Getty: Be Thou My Vision
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