Updates

     I remember the days of slouch socks and brown tie shoes. I remember sleeves with a lot of gathers and collars on cotton dresses. My sisters and I grew up playing with Lite Brites and Polly Pockets and Gel Pens. There may have been some Lisa Frank involved, too. The Treehouse Adventures were a new and exciting series and computers took up nearly the entire desktop. Pedometers were made to clip onto your belt and count your steps, and I had a pink light up skip ball that counted my jumps. Not all vehicles came with power windows.

    I learned to type on an actual typewriter and was slightly envious of my fellow students that had correction ribbon and didn't need to struggle with liquid white-out. We even learned to center a list on those ancient beasts, and it was always a race to see how much you could get typed before the carriage would return and rattle away rapidly to catch up with you. Kit Kats came in foil wrappers, and you could buy breath strips that melted on your tongue with an interesting after taste. We watched screen savers on the computer for entertainment and some may remember an evening of playing "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" 

    It wasn't long until the cord on the family phone (How far could it reach when you wanted a private conversation?) gave way to a wonderful cordless version. And of course, the next thing we knew, folks were flaunting the newest Nokia phones in their protective cases with clear covers over the buttons. Perhaps that was to keep the letters from rubbing off as you had to hit a button three times to get the letter you wanted for that important text to a friend. (How r u? Im gr8!) Sometimes more, if you accidentally passed it by. Of course, it was important to know what games came with the phone. Snake was a great favorite. And then came flip phones and we all learned to trade pictures and songs with the marvelous invention of Bluetooth. 

    And now here we are, in the first days of 2021. How is your technology? How about your fashions and fun? Are you still using your first prepaid flip phone? Wearing the same brown and blue prints? 

    Most of these things are now nearly obsolete. Styles and technologies change at a rapid pace around us. We update on a regular basis, because it simply doesn't make sense to continue using poor technology when better options are available at a reasonable cost.

    I started wondering about my Christian life. Have I updated lately? It is easy to stay stuck in some of the temptations I've struggled with for years. Maybe God didn't speak to me as a young Christian about a certain attitude I carried because He had other things for me to see, but perhaps He's waiting now for me to get willing for an update He has ready. After all, we are commanded to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18a).

    Make no mistake, Christian life is not a New Years Resolution to be broken. It's a commitment to be kept. It has less to do with trying for a couple of weeks before giving in to defeat, and more to do with learning of a love that leads to self-denial. 

    Will updating be easy? The answer may depend on whether or not you are willing to spend time reading the Owner's Manual. You might need to call a company Representative for help. But if you are determined there will be a way. God will not leave you alone and confused.

    Is the commitment possible to keep? Yes! A thousand times yes! You won't be able to manage on your own, but we have His promise: And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18)  

    I love looking back in time and remembering with fond fuzzy feelings of nostalgia all the things that my schoolchildren may know nothing about. Just like my grandparents and parents before me, I, too, have my own version of the good old days. But when I really think about it, do I wish to give up my convenient smart phone and power windows? Do I want to hope for a passenger that knows how to read a map and can give me directions? Sometimes it's hard to let things go and move on. It can be work figuring out how a new system operates. Yet I believe that my God is a God of growth and commitment. Wherever He chooses to lead me, to whatever depths He asks me to go, I can follow, trusting He will someday welcome me Home.