I don't remember the exact statistic or survey, but on the radio this morning I heard that the majority of people are not all that impressed with how far technology has come within the last 10 years.

Seriously?

Ten years ago I do remember having a DVD player, but I also remember being one of the few to have one. After getting it, we had mentioned something to a friend about watching a DVD and she said, "What? A VDO?" thinking we had come up with a cool new way to say "video." Now the new thing is having a blue ray player and finding a VCR is a rarity.

Ten years ago we didn't have a cell phone. We had a phone connected to a wall in the kitchen, and the cord was just long enough to sit on the steps when the conversation got too long to stand for. When we got a cell phone, we had to plug it in to a cord that attached to an antenna on top of our roof. Now there's the IPhone and some new phone that even has a projector. Why a cell phone needs a projector, I'm not sure, but there is one out there now.

Ten years ago we were still using our computer that had come in three huge cow-spotted Gateway boxes. We didn't have a laptop. The internet had to be shut off for someone to make a phone call. In fact, ten years ago, I was stranded at my school after coming back from my Washington DC trip because my family forgot to come get me and the line kept ringing busy because someone was online. I called from a pay phone. Today, if that would happen, I could use my cell phone to call anyone in my family, because they all have a cell phone, and if someone was on the laptop checking their email there would be no problem. (By the way, someone else who lived near me did take me home that night, and only my dad was awake, using the computer of course, and his response to seeing me was, "Oh honey! You're home! We thought you were coming home tomorrow!" Even though I had left my itinerary on the fridge for them before I left. Don't worry, I obviously don't hold any grudges over that anymore.)

All of this and so much more has changed, but the reason the people surveyed didn't feel like we'd come very far is because 10 years ago they had thought by now we'd have flying cars.

As ridiculous as that sounds, I think I've done that when I've looked at my own spiritual life. I'm disappointed because I'm not flying cars yet like I thought I would be at this point in my life. I was sure I would be Super Christian: Always trusts God, acts on faith alone, and master of guarding her tongue!

And because I'm not there yet, it feels like where I've come from is no big deal. But the thing is, God is much more interested in there being a continual, growing process, and He's the one doing the growing anyway.

Philipians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Progress on our spiritual journey takes time, patience, and hard work. It doesn't just happen overnight. The point is that we're always growing and moving closer to Him, whether we're in a wagon or in a sports car.

I don't know about you, but I may never even see a flying car 'til I reach eternity!

Labels: Emily