Reflections

Continuing on with the book I am reading, "Amish Peace" has really given me time for reflection as I read. It is an excellent book and will really make you stop and think about things as you read about the Amish way of life and how they view life in general. As I was sitting in the car waiting for my granddaughter to get out of school, several thoughts crossed my mind in regard to the world we live in today. Take for instance, letter writing vs email. I don't know about anyone else, but my hand cramps when I have to write for any length of time. So email is definitely easier because my fingers flying across the keyboard can keep up a lot faster with my thoughts. However, the downside to email is that it is no longer personal. When we write or receive a letter, we know that someone had to sit down and TAKE THE TIME to compose their thoughts and write them down on paper. I loved seeing my grandmother's handwriting on a letter she had written to me. She is gone now and I wish I had saved all those letters and cherished them. I could have gone back and re-read them and been able to see her face and picture her sitting in her chair, lovingly writing her thoughts to me. But I was too young to realize the preciousness of those letters. How about texting on a cell phone? Texting is great if you want to send someone a quick note when you or they cannot take a phone call. The down side is that not only are far too many accidents happening that are claiming lives from people texting while they are driving, we are losing touch with our friends and family. We don't need to hear their voices anymore. We have text messaging! How sad that we have succumbed to being satisfied to read a bunch of letters on a phone instead of listening to a voice. One day, that person may no longer be with you and you will never get to hear them again. Take the time, to TALK - not text. TV/Movies - we feel like we need to be continually entertained. What happened to family time? It's no wonder that our youth are roaming the streets or the internet, searching for someone who will pay attention to them. No one talks to each other anymore. We are all too busy. We fill our lives with busyness. Families don't sit at the table and enjoy a meal together or each other's company. Evenings are filled with sports, activities, and work. Kids (if they are at home) are barracaded in their rooms away from their families, either on the computer, listening to IPODS, or playing video games. There is no interaction between family members. Parents are over-worked, worn down from trying to make a living just so they can keep buying the next new thing that comes on the market. Not only do we not have time for our families, but where is time for God? Like our families, He has been placed on the back burner of our lives until we NEED Him to show up to help us or provide something we need (and in some cases, want). No time to spend with our children and families or friends. No time to spend fellowshiping with the Lord. We have all these time saving gadgets in our homes and garages, yet we have no more time. In fact, we have less. And with all those gadgets, we have lost the REAL joy of doing some of our tasks by hand because we are in too big of a hurry to get the job done. We don't know how to relax and enjoy the moment, the task, our family, our friends, or our Lord. We are a needy generation.