Defragmenting Life 2

Things acquired for convenience.

Most of us buy things for enjoyment and because they make things convenient.

We buy a cell phone because it is easy to stay connected with family, friends and work. We buy zip lock bags so when we’re done with the contents in the bag we can simply throw away the bag. It saves us on having to wash out a plastic container and having to store that container when we are done. We buy computers that are easier and faster to work and play on and need less virus software. We buy stocks and bonds in hopes they will help us in the retirement years and will make it easier to help pay for our kids rising college tuition. We buy gas grills instead of charcoal grills because they are less messy and faster to cook on. We buy a universal remote for our television, DVD player, and recorder in hopes we won’t have to use three remotes or have to dig through our couch so frequently. We buy storage boxes to store all our stuff that we don’t use all the time in. We buy large flat screen televisions because they are sometimes easier to see with our aging eyes and/or because they a lot funnier to watch movies and play video games on. We buy new improved formulas, gadgets, and tools in hopes they will make our cleaning and building faster, cleaner and more energy efficient.

There is nothing wrong with convenience in our lives but it does become a problem when it starts affecting our life and those around us.

Our want for convenience affects many aspects of our lives and sometimes we partake in things of this world because of mere convenience but in seeking convenience, these things of the world “can” trip us up if we are not careful in how we use them.

Since I started with cell phones let's use cell phones as our example. Cell phones are wonderful especially if your entire network of friends and family are on the same network but cell phones have also made things of life easy to trip over.

No longer is your phone at your office desk or at home in the kitchen hanging on the wall but now is own your person or near your person most of the day. Now those who want or feel the need to call you can do so at a whim – regardless of what time it is and who you are trying to spend quality time with. There are people out there who GOT to have their “phone” fix.

I am sure the man who brought in those wild gourds, to put them in the stew he was sharing with family and guests, didn’t know they were poisonous. He brought them in out of convenience. They were close by and not too far away to fetch. (2 Kings)

Cell phones MAKE it so easy for someone to state how they are feeling without thinking their thoughts thoroughly through.

Gossip, presumption, cheating and lying, to name a few, are at anyone’s disposal if they are caught in the wrong moment and have lack of self-restraint/ control.

Some people are now apt to call out of gut reaction to something they hear or see instead of thinking the entire situation through.

Have you ever wondered how our grandparents survived without cell phones? Technology back then did not make things convenient to call whenever they had a whim. If you were upset with someone, you would either wait until you were near a phone or you would have to write a letter and in either case you had time to stop and think before it was too late and had to retrieve your foot from your mouth. Inconvenience gave the opportunity for saving grace.

Nowadays things are so immediate. You want to call someone- you can do it right then and there. You want to buy something you can do it right then and there. No longer do you have to go to the store. You can buy it right on-line or on your phone. Some grocery stores even deliver now. Some would say, “That should be a great thing! We no longer have to stand in long lines, fight traffic and spend gas money but that is also one less opportunity to shine our light for Christ and share that love of Christ with others. One less opportunity to see what God has planned to enrich our or someone else’s life.

When Paul wrote, “Your ambition should be a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands” (1 Thess 4:11) he did not mean we were to become hermits and secluded individuals. He was talking about staying away from situations that may lead into gossip, slander, lies, presumption and talk that is not well thought out before spoken. Talk that could not just be harmful and disrupted but sinful and not a good witness for Christ.

Things bought for convenience are great but just be careful how and when you use them.