“Do you really want to know how many calories are in that taco salad?” my daughter inquired one day this week as we surveyed a menu. When I agreed the information was of great interest to me, she whipped out her iPhone and began tapping the screen. Within seconds the nutritional information popped up and helped us move toward items lower in fat.
The phone I used as a child was attached to the kitchen wall. Our television was a small black and white model that sat in the family room. I had two choices of children’s programming to view in the morning: Romper Room and Captain Kangaroo. There were no DVDs to put away, no Xbox live headsets to hook up and no monthly cable bill to pay.
I honestly don’t know how my dad and brother managed to ignore their twitching thumbs. Little did they know that years down the line technology would provide them with a remote control they could use to channel surf to their hearts’ content!
The good family car when I was a child was a Ford Falcon, which had no air conditioning much less XM Radio. We played records on a hi-fi stereo system, recorded treasured family moments on black and white film and did not know the pleasure of diving into a nice hot bag of microwave popcorn.
My husband’s high school graduation gift was a coveted handheld calculator, and I was among the last group of undergraduate English majors in American history to type each and every paper on a electric typewriter.
Just think, we lived without teleconferencing, FAXs, satellite dishes and cash machines. My family’s set of Encyclopedia Britannica took up an entire wall. Today we travel the Internet to view original manuscripts and listen to the Boston Pops.
Computer-enhanced imaging has vastly improved mammograms and the careful use of technologies can be educational, entertaining, life-saving and fascinating. We can connect with old high school classmates and post funny family videos for all the world to see on the Internet.
Yet, I can’t live in this world without God. That’s because faith in Him can never be unplugged or taken. And one of the best ways to grow faith is to examine the character of God. Here’s what I know, based on what is explained in the Bible:
God is unchangeable. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).
God is almighty. “For nothing is impossible for God” (Luke 1:37).
God if faithful. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is his faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
God is good. “Give thanks for the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever” (Psalms 136:1).
God is forgiving. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
God is loving. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
God is merciful. “But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4 – 5).
God is creative. “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (Psalm 104:24).
The seasons change, the kids grow, the stock market hiccups, a community expands, parents go out to sea, technology infiltrates our daily routines. God draws near, as always. Steady. Unchanging. Loving. Present.
