8 Oct
Touch Screen Living
Our culture is bombarded with technology. Our generation is not just touch-screen in the literal sense; figuratively, we always have everything at our fingertips. We have lost the mystery and suspense of delayed gratification –the art of postponing our wants and desires, the ability to deny false urgency. We have let the art of self-discipline grow lazy, giving ourselves over to whatever emotion or impulse seizes us at any given moment. It is so easy to become immersed in technology: text messaging, Facebook, Myspace, instant messaging, emails from our iPhones and Blackberrys…but when it comes down to it, are all of our relationships really as secure and deeply rooted as our texting thumbs are swift?
There was a time when my phone was glued to my fingertips and I thought my relationships were solidified through the numerous short texts I exchanged with my friends at the most inconvenient times (i.e. calculus lectures). However, I took a bit of a break from texting after realizing that such exchanges promise no deep, fulfilling relationships. So I decided to approach relationships differently. I took time to meet with friends and talk to them face-to-face. I began to further appreciate the time I had with my family without being distracted by “one new text message” surfacing on the screen and disrupting my face-to-face conversations. If I wasn’t with one of my friends and they wanted to contact me, they called me. Remember that? The old-fashioned phone call? (It’s awesome, really. I can understand why Alexander Graham Bell was inspired to bring us such a ravishing invention.) To hear one’s voice, to communicate with intonation, inflection, sarcasm –all techniques that are lost (or misinterpreted) in the standard type of a text message or e-mail.
People are so valuable. I fear that I devalued my friendships by only communicating within the context of T9 messages. Now don’t get me wrong, I value technology and I think that texting and “fingertip” technology are all equally astounding; however, I fear that too often I am immersed in the function of the device and forget about the reason I use these devices in the first place. Primarily, they are means of communication. However, slinging text lingo back and forth between mobile devices does not constitute a friendship. And without a meaningful relationship, what is the purpose of communication, anyway?
As Christians, we are called to love one another and be a community of believers. Christ calls us to service and commands us to look toward Him as we are building relationships with each other. Therefore, as we draw closer to Christ, we also come closer to each other. If our only means of fellowshipping and communing with other believers is by a few clicks of a mouse or the keypad on our cell phone, we have lost the beauty of this heaven-made picture altogether. It is so beautiful to fellowship with other believers–to speak on matters of the heart; to share life together through conversation, through service, through relationships.
After my break from texting I not only lived with less urgency and less of a “get-it-now” mindset, I also was able to enjoy relationships more because they stemmed from a deep root in Christ rather than an empty urgency to make contact. We each have different distractions that pull us from meaningful relationships into the “get it now” mindset of the world. I encourage you to take a break from whatever binds you. (And if it’s harder to take a break from, chances are it’s binding.) Look instead toward Christ and His advice about friendships with brothers and sisters in Christ. Model your relationships after God’s model of the church as a community. Then, instant contact will not be the foundation but an ornament upon the strong relationships you have already built, with Christ as the Cornerstone.
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About the Author
Sarah is a freshman at Belmont University where she is studying journalism and theater. She can be found snuggling up with a good book, discovering new music, riding in her car with the windows down (singing at the top of her lungs) and playing guitar on her front porch. She also enjoys writing music and lyrics. Her passions for traveling, ministry, and fighting social injustice foreshadow an exciting journalism career post-college. In the meantime, she hopes to go skydiving, take a stunt driving course, and go backpacking in the Rockies all while living a life that points others to her beautiful Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Sarah can be contacted via email at vagabond99@live.com.
