For a few days this week I was without email. The room I was in was kind of like a cave and didn't have cell service. I was pretty hard to get a hold of. I had to tell people I was "off the grid." In reality I was at a monastery, doing a continuing education course on family systems.
Certainly in my lifetime we've seen a heightened ability to locate people, contact people, and know people's information. I can only imagine how different this is for older generations. Are you more patient than me? I hear from family if I don't return a message within a couple of hours. I get impatient when I can't be checking the updates of my friends on Facebook. I worry that people will wonder what's happened to me.
Several weeks ago I asked the 11:15 worship community if they found it harder to ask people or God for help. In the God column there was appreciation for being able to stay somewhat anonymous in exhibiting vulnerability. In the human column there was gratitude for a more immediate, consistent, visible response to requests for help. Is it possible our views on this are changing because of our increased ability to have rapid communication with others given cell phones, Twitter and Facebook? Did people used to be more patient with God?
I think it's quite possible that impatience is a universal phenomenon- We see in the Bible time and time again how the Hebrew people complained to Moses about God's pace and provision. But, I do think our tolerance for waiting probably has grown less and less as our ability to find others has increased. It's an interesting question. What do you think?
Certainly in my lifetime we've seen a heightened ability to locate people, contact people, and know people's information. I can only imagine how different this is for older generations. Are you more patient than me? I hear from family if I don't return a message within a couple of hours. I get impatient when I can't be checking the updates of my friends on Facebook. I worry that people will wonder what's happened to me.
Several weeks ago I asked the 11:15 worship community if they found it harder to ask people or God for help. In the God column there was appreciation for being able to stay somewhat anonymous in exhibiting vulnerability. In the human column there was gratitude for a more immediate, consistent, visible response to requests for help. Is it possible our views on this are changing because of our increased ability to have rapid communication with others given cell phones, Twitter and Facebook? Did people used to be more patient with God?
I think it's quite possible that impatience is a universal phenomenon- We see in the Bible time and time again how the Hebrew people complained to Moses about God's pace and provision. But, I do think our tolerance for waiting probably has grown less and less as our ability to find others has increased. It's an interesting question. What do you think?
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