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March 20, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Only a Keystroke Away, by Russ Lawson
I was thinking about how our world has changed so quickly. Our lives
are so different from what they were for our parents or grandparents.
Of course they are especially different in the terms of electronic
devices. I remember reading that in the 1950's they were first
developing a working computer and it required the space of a small
home. Now I have a computer that fits into the space of my hand.
We look at time differently, as well. In our parents and grandparents
day, folks took more time with things in which we don't seem to place
the same level of importance. Mostly I'm thinking about personal
relationships. They took time to visit, to stop and talk with friends
when they met them unexpectedly. They visited their neighbors, shared
part of the latest batch of cookies they had just made, helped repair
that fence or paint the house. Today, our lives are ruled by how much
we can get done in the shortest amount of time and how long we can
continue doing it.
We plan our days and then work at the plan. Of course that is not all
bad. We are supposed to manage our lives wisely, aren't we? I do that
so it must be alright! Right? I generally spend part of my early
mornings corresponding and writing. However, I think that I may have
discovered that I've fallen into a trap. As I have been reviewing my
typical day lately, I've found myself far too often jotting off a quick
email note rather than picking up the phone and calling personally or
making a visit. It is more efficient to do this cyberspace-style, isn't
it? I can stay in contact with more people, over a greater distance, in
less time. So, I am a better manager, right? We are, after all, only a
keystroke away. That is what I told a friend recently.
Something is lost in all of this. It is the personal part of
relationships. There is something about the sound of the voice of my
friends or the clasp of a handshake that warms my heart. Yes, it feels
good to receive an email from a friend, but I feel more of a sense of
peace, a sense of warmth and encouragement, when we talk.
We need cyberspace and face-to-face communication.
I know that you are sitting at your computer reading this thought. You
are comfortable, you are protected, you are safe and spam filtered as
you sit in that chair and only a keystroke -- the delete button -- away
from removing anything you don't like. But, let me encourage you to
make some personal contact with someone today -- perhaps someone you
haven't talked with or visited with for far too long. You need the
contact. You both need the encouragement.
The writer of the book of Hebrews puts it this way:
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so
that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Hebrews
3:13 NIV).
While I can't personally contact everyone who reads this, I can
encourage you to reach out and encourage someone in your own life -- in
a personal way that involves the sound of your voice and the touch of
your hand.
---------
(c) 2009 Russ Lawson <rlawson@wclo.net>, Messages from the Heart
<http://www.mfth.net/aboutus.html>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Why Tim?
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200010/20001005_why.html
* The Great Gift of Encouragement
http://www.heartlight.org/family/family_v253.html
* The Gift of Encouragement
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200304/20030409_encouragement.html
* Messages from the Heart
http://www.mfth.net/aboutus.html
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200903/20090320_keystroke.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
11 INDISPENSABLE RELATIONSHIPS YOU CAN'T BE WITHOUT!, by Leonard Sweet
Using 11 classic figures from Scripture, Leonard Sweet details key
personal attributes that make up God's Dream Team for your life.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?253
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