Cast all your cares on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
This is my Stephie. Today she is a senior at Smithtown Christian School, and last week was her Senior Prom. I don’t mean to be redundant, but, where has the time gone? It seems like last week I was in High School. Life was simpler then, or at least it seems like it.
We didn’t deal with cell phones. Our house had two phones; one upstairs and one downstairs. You couldn’t call two different people at the same time since one of those phones was an extension. Can you imagine such a thing? This is all most people had. Now I take my cell phone everywhere, and don't want to be without it.We couldn't go back to the old way because the pay phones are gone. How would we reach someone in an emergency?
There is much anxiety over cell phones today. Parents and children deliberate about how much they cost, whose paying for them, and who will pay for the service. All we had to do was deal with each other's phone time. One phone for all four of us. How long is too long on the phone?
Most of the time none of this was a problem. My brother didn't make many calls. My sister and I were the only ones, since our Mom was gone most of the day at work. Today, how long one is using their personal phone is not the concern, but what's said during that time. Texting can cause us to feel even move remote from those whom we communicate with.
The old adage, "Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me" is such a lie! Words do hurt, and they last far longer in the mind of an individual than we may realize. Our brains hold all words, inflections, tones, and body language that go along with words.
If we could only see others the way Jesus sees them before we said or texted or phoned anyone! How many times I have read a text a day later and said" I wish I read this through before I sent it." I'm quick to say anything in a text because it is instant, almost as if the person is in the room, but they can read it when it's convenient. Guard your words, written, texted and spoken.
Here is a really different way of writing James 1:19-21 from The Message:" Post this at every intersection, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let the gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation- garden of your life."
Anxiety can be avoided by careful consideration on our part. I don't want to have misunderstandings or hurt feelings, and neither do you. We are His creation made for good works.
Help us Lord Jesus to reflect your character through word and deed. Let us put thought behind our words and think about the long term consequences. As your coming is closer than ever before, may we take each day as a reminder that not one of us has tomorrow guaranteed. In Jeus' name Amen.
There is much anxiety over cell phones today. Parents and children deliberate about how much they cost, whose paying for them, and who will pay for the service. All we had to do was deal with each other's phone time. One phone for all four of us. How long is too long on the phone?
Most of the time none of this was a problem. My brother didn't make many calls. My sister and I were the only ones, since our Mom was gone most of the day at work. Today, how long one is using their personal phone is not the concern, but what's said during that time. Texting can cause us to feel even move remote from those whom we communicate with.
The old adage, "Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me" is such a lie! Words do hurt, and they last far longer in the mind of an individual than we may realize. Our brains hold all words, inflections, tones, and body language that go along with words.
If we could only see others the way Jesus sees them before we said or texted or phoned anyone! How many times I have read a text a day later and said" I wish I read this through before I sent it." I'm quick to say anything in a text because it is instant, almost as if the person is in the room, but they can read it when it's convenient. Guard your words, written, texted and spoken.
Here is a really different way of writing James 1:19-21 from The Message:" Post this at every intersection, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let the gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation- garden of your life."
Anxiety can be avoided by careful consideration on our part. I don't want to have misunderstandings or hurt feelings, and neither do you. We are His creation made for good works.
Help us Lord Jesus to reflect your character through word and deed. Let us put thought behind our words and think about the long term consequences. As your coming is closer than ever before, may we take each day as a reminder that not one of us has tomorrow guaranteed. In Jeus' name Amen.