Love to hear from and know who is listening
Some of the earliest forms of communication were cave drawings. Cave drawings were painted onto the walls of caves and canyons to tell the story of peoples lives. They would tell stories of battles, hunts and culture. Man has invented so many ways to communicate. Just in my lifetime there has been so many advancements in communication. I remember when I was a boy visiting my grandparents house and they still had a party line phone, 1 long ring when someone was calling them and two short rings when someone was calling the neighbors. Even after I graduated high school the internet was just beginning and could only be found in government offices and there was no such thing as cell phones. I remember when I saw my first cell phone, it was in a large black nylon bag and was bigger than my wife's purse and cell phone signal was very limited.
Now there are so many ways to communicate with each other. I remember when I helped my Grandma Ellis set up her first computer and email account. I had shared her email address with my Aunt and Uncle who were serving in Ukraine as missionaries. Grandma was used to writing letters and not getting any response until the news was a couple weeks old or more. When I turned on her computer and checked the email account she had a message from them that was only minutes old. To say grandma was amazed didn't even begin to describe her reaction! Communication is key to building relationships, and modern forms of communication allows us to stay in touch with friends and family from anywhere in the world. Today, modern technology dominates our communication. We have a massive range of ways in which we can stay connected, but each channel of communication can influence our relationships in a different ways. Some modern forms of communication include social media, instant messaging, blogging, podcasts and video chat just to name a few.
The Internet reduces a person to a faceless screen name, it can make it hard for some users to remember that an actual person exists behind the avatar, which can encourage hostility and exclusionary behavior. Young people are especially prone to online hostility. In some cases, communicating online replaces face-to-face interaction for users, reducing the amount of time they actually spend in the company of other human beings. Social networks sometimes replace a small number of strong social connections with a larger number of much shallower connections, leading to situations where a user may have large numbers of "so called friends" but few actual real-world companions. This can lead to depression and feelings of loneliness. So what does the bible say about spending time with each other.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 NIV Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
We are all going to be held accountable for the way we spend the precious time God has given us!!! It really takes some self discipline to do what I am suppose to when no one is watching. But wait, isn’t God watching? Yes, of course He is! I need to remember this as I’m on internet just a little too long. God has called us all to be wise in how we spend our days, therefore we need to be asking ourselves. Does what I am doing have an eternal impact? Could I be doing something else with my time that would Glorify God more? I’m really writing this for myself as a reminder to step back and try to stay balanced. It is my prayer that I would examine my time and make sure that I’m spending it wisely and understanding what the will of the Lord is for me.
