Games sure have changed since I was a kid. Back then, we were told to go outside and find sticks to play with. OK, maybe it wasn’t that primitive but it seems like it when you see the stuff kids play with today.
We bought the kids a Wii for Christmas and it’s amazing how responsive the technology is. A sensor bar picks up the movement of the wireless remote and allows you to actually swing a bat or roll a bowling ball. With the addition of a guitar you can be rocking along with Bon Jovi.
On the plus side, the Wii requires the players to actually move (a sneaky way to exercise); on the down side, it requires the players to actually move. For the kids, it’s fun. For old guys like me, it just makes us sore.
Technology keeps moving on. Most mobile phones have more computing power than actual computers had less than two decades ago. Televisions are getting bigger, brighter, and with a decent speaker system can make you feel like you’re at the event you’re watching. GPS, the Internet, microwaveable meals.
We’re living in an age of technological leap-frog, where the latest advance gets jumped over by the next big breakthrough. Trying to keep up with all the changes is nearly impossible. Trying to understand them can be frustrating.
Though technology may be changing rapidly, there are other elements of the human experience that remain changeless. The needs to be loved, have friendship, and feel useful are universal needs that existed just as much during the Industrial Revolution as the Internet Revolution.
People have searched for meaning, for life’s purpose, since the beginning of time itself — even without the advantage of GPS.
The greatest need of all never changes: the need to be in a healthy, growing relationship with God. Without such a relationship, no amount of technology can fill the void or give direction.
As we approach a new year (2009!), let us recommit ourselves to nurturing the greatest need of all. May this new year be a year when we pursue the One who pursued us all along.
God bless you and here’s to a great new year!