Sunday, September 9, 2007

The Miracle of the Cell Phone

I think it was 1994 when I got my first cell phone (I am 35). I thought I was so cool and “cutting edge”. Who would have ever thought it would be possible to be driving down the road and talking on the phone at the same time? I mean I had seen it on the Jetsons, but I never thought it would be a reality for the average person in my lifetime. The phone itself was about the size of a large brick and weighed about as much too. The antenna was about a foot long and the size of one of those ‘fat’ pencils we used in 1st grade. If you turned your head while you were on the phone, you were in danger of seriously injuring anyone within close proximity of you. I remember thinking that 30 free minutes was an awesome benefit, because I couldn’t afford to pay the $4 per minute charge if I went over.

Today, it would be hard to find someone with a cell phone like my old one. Cell phones are now about the size of a credit card and everyone from age 12 to 112 has one. Today’s cell phones can play any music you like, you can play video games on them, and some of them even play movies! The days of huge phones and 30 free minutes are long gone (thankfully). The truth is, cell phones are not a wonder to us anymore--they have become common. Why is it that things we once regarded as marvelous become ordinary over time?

I think that as people become more ‘enlightened’, we tend to lessen the role that God plays in our everyday lives. For instance, in elementary school we learn what the sun is made of and how it works. Because we have so much knowledge of the sun, we forget that every sunrise is a miracle of God. We know what causes a rainbow, we even know what colors make up that rainbow (anyone remember ROYGBIV? -red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), but over the course of time we have seen so many rainbows we fail to remember that they are a symbol God’s promise to never flood the earth again. With all the medical advances we have today, when a person is healed of a disease, that healing is often seen as something performed by modern medicine and not God’s miracle. In other words, the ‘smarter’ we become, the less we give God credit for the miracles we see on a daily basis. The sunrise that you saw this morning is no less of a miracle than the first sunrise. God shows Himself in our lives everyday and we take it for granted. God is alive and working His miracles throughout time and space. It’s time we sat up and took notice.

9 comments:

Emily said...

Here's the link to how I made my signature :)

Emily said...

Ooops! http://www.mylivesignature.com/

BethAnne said...

Thanks Emily!

Earen said...

I couldn't agree with you more! Thank you for the reminder to pay attention & not take for granted what God does every day for us! Thank you also for your encouraging words on my blog!

I'm Tara. said...

I love, love, love this post, Bethanne!! You're so right. We miss about 99% of Him each day, don't we? Thanks for the great reminder.

Btw -- I totally remember those phones! We're the same age! :)

He Knows My Name said...

You are so sweet!! You visited my scrawny blog and left me a message. My son was helping me with the signature thing when we gave up, I saw I had a comment, my heart took a leap. Thanks you made my day.

Your post is so true. Things around us change leaving us feeling insecure and out of touch. But Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. Hebrews 13:8. our immovable rock!

Thanks again, I am determined to figure this HTML thing out yet.

Janel

Short Stop said...

I found myself chuckling through this post! YES, I had one of those cell phones. I got my first one in college and it was so big that it stuck out of the top of my purse! :) AND, I had a plan that was $20/month and I was SO happy that I got 30 free minutes! Crazy to think about that now! :)

You are so right...we take for granted so many of the "everyday" happenings that are truly miracles! Thank you for the encouragement to remember those miracles as God's work!! :)

Jenny said...

That is so true! I can remeber getting to drive a car for my boss and he had a phone like that! I picked it up and thought it would be so cool to be rich enough to have a phone in my car!

Times change!

Jen

Amy L Brooke said...

I love your site. It is beautifully written and decorated. Did you design it yourself?

I think you are right. We take cell phones for granted and often take God and his promises for granted as well.