The Tug-of-War

It has been like Christmas all over again as we recently dug out the gift cards we had received in December!  With so much going on we had put them out of our minds.  One of my favorite places to shop is Amazon and I always ask for gift cards to the online giant.  There were three, plus a couple of restaurants, Fleet Farm, and Target.  What did we do before gift cards?

We shopped in brick-and-mortar stores.  We still do, but sadly, here, so many of our stores have closed.  K-Mart and Sears, JC Penneys, American Eagle, Younkers, 2 Hallmarks, and most recently Shopko joined the "going out of business" train.  Sad.  And yet I have a part in their closings too with my online shopping.  It is a bit of a tug of war, isn't it.  The convenience and cost benefits of online shopping can't be beat, but supporting our local communities is so important too.

Our world, it is a changing.  Technology at it's best and the aftermath of it? Bankruptcies and closings.  There is something to be said for having the item we are looking at in our hands.  Getting a good feel for it, and a good look at what we want to purchase.  That tug-of-war of brick-and-mortar and online shopping.

I chuckle at the fact that you can tithe online, through your church's website.  You can livestream a church service and worship from your living room.  Convenience.  Yet, I argue there is something necessary and special about gathering with other believers in fellowship to worship our Lord. Face to face, interaction with a living human being.  Uniting together to worship in His presence. 

Our relationship with God can be a bit of a tug also.  It is easy to draw near and then far in our daily lives depending on our circumstances.  It is too easy to breathe in and then breathe out in trust, in rest, and in connecting with our Jesus.

How do we embrace the future while holding on to what is important in the past.  How do we keep intimacy in our relationships, when so much communication is online. How do we support our communities while getting the best deal for our money.  How do we stay close to God?   It is a tug-of-war in some ways.  A tug-of-war that involves intentional effort to maintain balance. 

Random thoughts..............