Who Sharpens The Iron?

I love when everyone is home.
I enjoy our dinner conversations.
Reminiscing, discussing current events, and sharing funny stories round out the evening.
The last dinner conversation we had concerned technology.

We discussed how technology has exponentially increased during my children’s lifetime.
We talked about how technology has exploded during the lifetime of my husband and me.
They all laughed at our remembrances.
Some things they found hard to believe.

Growing up, you had one television that looked more like a piece of furniture.
It was black and white with only three channels.
A color TV came much later; I remember when the yellow brick road really turned yellow.
A few more channels came along and all network broadcasting went off every night.

In the age of twenty-four hour news, it is hard to imagine.
There was always the signing off with the National Anthem and a picture of the flag.
Then, the next day’s broadcast began with the National Anthem and a picture of the flag.
There were no remote controls; you had to walk over to change the channel or volume.

Those were the days of eight tracks and cassettes.
Those were the days when an ordinary pencil could manually rewind a cassette tape.
Everyone had record players with vinyl albums that easily scratched.
You taped a penny to the needle arm so that the record would not skip.

There was no Internet, but there was a library.
There was no Wikipedia, but there were encyclopedias.
There was no Google, but there were card catalogs and microfiche machines.
There was no spell check, but there was a dictionary.

Games were played outside or on the kitchen table, not on a device in your hand.
Phones were tethered to the wall with a short cord, not in your pocket or purse.
Going to the movies was a treat; if you wanted to see it again, you paid for another ticket.
There was no personal film library, or Netflix account.

Cars had actual keys not remotes.
There was a knob that you pulled up or pushed down in order to lock the door.
The knob actually came in handy if you locked your keys in the car.
You could fish a wire coat hangar through the top of the window to unlock the door.

Central air conditioning was rare.
Individual room air conditioners; hanging out of bedroom windows was the norm.
You went to a bank to cash a check; there were no ATM machines.
If you did something wrong, a neighbor was sure to report you to your parents.

Desks were in rows in the classroom.
There were no backpacks, though some people had school bags.
Lunch boxes had the popular TV shows of the day with Thermoses to match.
Sliced, white bread was the only choice for your sandwich.

We went on and on about the differences.
My children could each remember a time without a computer in our house.
We discussed where they thought technology would be when they have children.
You cannot even wrap your head around the changes that will inevitably come.

My oldest daughter spoke up and stopped us all in our tracks.
Technology has destroyed communication.
Did you ever look at people in a restaurant? They are all on their phones.
They are not talking to each other. They are looking down in their own little worlds.

Her passion about this issue was apparent.
It bothers her.
As it should.
It should bother all of us.

When my husband travels for business, he said that everyone is looking down.
No one reads newspapers or magazines; they read on some sort of device.
On an airplane, people are using headphones, so conversation is not possible.
We don’t engage with each other; we engage with an inanimate device.

Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!” So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles sharpened. The price was two thirds of a sheckel for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads. So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. (1 Samuel 13:19-22)

How ironic that the Israelites had to go to their enemy to have their iron sharpened.
The Philistines outlawed all local blacksmiths.
The Philistines had a monopoly on the iron in the culture.
Whoever owns the iron in the culture has dominance.

Who owns the iron in our culture?
If we are owned by technology, then it wins.
If our devices own us, then they win.
If we are owned by no one or nothing but the Lord Jesus, then He has dominance.

And indeed He has!

They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity – for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. (2 Peter 2:19)

Are we a slave or free to the technology that is supposed to make our lives easier?
Perhaps it is time for conversation to begin again.
Perhaps it is time to begin looking up at a face and not down at a screen.

Who or what dominates your life?
Who owns you?
Only one answer will provide freedom.

 

2 responses to “Who Sharpens The Iron?”

1. Amen! I agree with your daughter. It is very unsettling and people wonder why they do not have sincere community. I live the body of Christ but we must be care the way Christ cares.

   Reply

   • Bobbie,
     Sincere community…the kind that Jesus desires…the kind that all of us want to have. That happens face to face and heart to heart. You and I have seen community working the way it should. There is nothing like it!
     Gina

     Reply