Thankful Tech

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

By Steven H. VanderLeest

I am thankful to God for many blessings.  I am thankful for the recent birth of our first grandchild.  I am thankful for a daughter opening a new chapter in her life by serving for a year in AmeriCorps.  I am thankful for those moments in our church worship service when the Spirit moves people to sing from their hearts in authentic worship.  I am thankful for the tomatoes that grow in a little pot on our back deck, slowly turning from green to red.  My gratitude extends to warm and water-proof winter boots, old friends that contact me out of the blue,  the smell of freshly baked pumpkin pie, the flash of a hawk swooping just past my car in search of a mouse on the side of the road, and the slow, majestic turn of Orion through the crisp winter sky.

My thanksgiving also extends to technology—and why not?  These are also good gifts from God’s hand.  Just because the farmer toiled to grow a crop of golden wheat does not negate the gift and he ought not neglect to say a prayer of thanks.  Just because the engineer toiled to design a new computer chip does not negate the gift and she ought not neglect to also give thanks.  Perhaps especially because we are stewards of creation, we should be grateful for our role and grateful for the creatures (living and non-living) under our care.

Since all good things come from God’s hand, let’s be mindful to give thanks for our tech.  Thank God for electric guitars.  Thank God for GPS navigation in your car.  Thank him for wrinkle-resistant shirts, smartphone apps that help you remember the name of a tune, care pages on the web that let you send a get-well wish, and indoor plumbing.  Let’s be thankful for amazing planes, trains, and automobiles.  Let’s be thankful for beautiful bridges, power tools, and MRI machines.  (I’m even thankful for that little wire ring that helps hold up my tomatoes.) The devices, gadgets, and technologies that surround us are all bountiful blessings from the Lord.  Let us give thanks!

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(c) 2012, Steven H. VanderLeest