People asking why those summer camps are along the river should understand they’ve been there for 100 years. They are a generational tradition for many Texans.
Why do people live in tornado alley in the panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma? Why do people live along the coast where a tropical storm can cause more damage than a hurricane? Why do people live in California where wildfires rage every year?
Sometimes terrible things happen. Sometimes there’s no one to blame. Sometimes life is hard for no reason at all.
I don’t want to connect my coffee machine to the wifi network. I don’t want to share the file with OneDrive. I don’t want to download an app to check my car’s fluid levels. I don’t want to scan a QR code to view the restaurant menu. I don’t want to let Google know my location before showing me the search results. I don’t want to include a Teams link on the calendar invite. I don’t want to pay 50 different monthly subscription fees for all my software. I don’t want to upgrade to TurboTax platinum plus audit protection. I don’t want to install the Webex plugin to join the meeting. I don’t want to share my car’s braking data with the actuaries at State Farm. I don’t want to text with your AI chatbot. I don’t want to download the Instagram app to look at your picture. I don’t want to type in my email address to view the content on your company’s website. I don’t want text messages with promo codes. I don’t want to leave your company a five-star Google review in exchange for the chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card. I don’t want to join your exclusive community in the metaverse. I don’t want AI to help me write my comments on LinkedIn. I don’t even want to be on LinkedIn in the first place.
I just want to pay for a product one time (and only one time), know that it’s going to work flawlessly, press 0 to speak to an operator if I need help, and otherwise be left alone and treated with some small measure of human dignity, if that’s not too much to ask anymore.
I'm beginning to see that the more mature a believer is, the less they take offense, the less they retreat to insecurity, and the more they err on the side of kindheartedness.
We are meant to know and be known. We are meant to love and be loved. Such a relationship brings richness and beauty into our lives. It can strengthen us. It expands us because we are always in relationship to the other – someone unlike ourselves.