The Next Story: Chapter 6 - The Rabbit Trail
Earlier today I was working on the Chapter 6 walk through of The Next Story and I typed up a nice little section of content based on one quote that really didn't fit with the rest of the post. I got sidetracked and followed a rabbit trail. I know, a chapter on distraction and I'm all over the place. It's awesomely funny. Anyway, I really wanted to share those thoughts but didn't want to clutter up the original post. Here you go:
Following a rabbit trail
This isn't where Tim goes with the rest of the chapter, but this last quote really got me thinking about my kids. I'm so used to doing things efficiently that I'm (to my shame) often impatient with them because they don't approach things as I would, or get things done as quickly as I would. Certainly, this is just my own pride working itself out in my relationships - but how has the technology I've surrounded myself with fostered this pride, this impatience?
My kids are one of God's greatest tools in my life - I ought to treasure them more highly than I do - I see my same impatience, my same pride, my same fears in my son*. Looking at him allows me to better understand myself. God's been kind in that and as he struggles to learn to obey and I struggle to learn how to parent better I'm constantly reminded of God's grace in not allowing me to continue to be blind to certain sins in my life.
My daughter on the other hand, looks exactly like me but is nothing like me personality-wise. She's joyful and outgoing, she's quick to forgive when sinned against, quick to repent, she's fearless in situations that make me tremble and somehow still longs for the protection of her Mommy...I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but she has some developmental delays that cause her to think and act like a kid 1-2 years younger than she actually is.
You know something? God's even used those delays to work in me. When I want to zip through something my son is getting up to speed and more often able to follow my train of thought and directions, but my daughter? Her needs are constantly calling me to slow down, to simplify, to rework my directions so she can grasp them better. God is using my kids, especially my daughter, to work patience in my heart. And I'm so grateful He is, that He hasn't left me to my sin, to my blindness...to my distraction.
My Previous Posts on The Next Story
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
*Please don't take this to mean I'm getting down on my son. I adore him, and he can be incredibly kind and generous and thoughtful, but I see so much of myself in him.
Following a rabbit trail
What if our consumption and use of these devices has trained us to assume that greater speed and greater capacity are universal virtues? What if we have transferred the virtues of digital devices to our own lives?(pg 122)
This isn't where Tim goes with the rest of the chapter, but this last quote really got me thinking about my kids. I'm so used to doing things efficiently that I'm (to my shame) often impatient with them because they don't approach things as I would, or get things done as quickly as I would. Certainly, this is just my own pride working itself out in my relationships - but how has the technology I've surrounded myself with fostered this pride, this impatience?
My kids are one of God's greatest tools in my life - I ought to treasure them more highly than I do - I see my same impatience, my same pride, my same fears in my son*. Looking at him allows me to better understand myself. God's been kind in that and as he struggles to learn to obey and I struggle to learn how to parent better I'm constantly reminded of God's grace in not allowing me to continue to be blind to certain sins in my life.
My daughter on the other hand, looks exactly like me but is nothing like me personality-wise. She's joyful and outgoing, she's quick to forgive when sinned against, quick to repent, she's fearless in situations that make me tremble and somehow still longs for the protection of her Mommy...I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but she has some developmental delays that cause her to think and act like a kid 1-2 years younger than she actually is.
You know something? God's even used those delays to work in me. When I want to zip through something my son is getting up to speed and more often able to follow my train of thought and directions, but my daughter? Her needs are constantly calling me to slow down, to simplify, to rework my directions so she can grasp them better. God is using my kids, especially my daughter, to work patience in my heart. And I'm so grateful He is, that He hasn't left me to my sin, to my blindness...to my distraction.
My Previous Posts on The Next Story
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
*Please don't take this to mean I'm getting down on my son. I adore him, and he can be incredibly kind and generous and thoughtful, but I see so much of myself in him.
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