Article February 10, 2014 Issue

Resistant to change? Prayer brings clarity.

Marilyn Wickstrom

What is this world coming to? It certainly isn’t the one I once knew.

Many of us have probably asked ourselves this question and had a similar response. On some level, we may feel surprised that we’re being challenged by change. My grandparents never talked about having difficulty adjusting to driving a car instead of a horse-drawn carriage, or watching TV instead of listening to the radio or reading a book. And having modern plumbing and electricity were considered a privilege, not a problem.

But the rate of technological advancement is increasing, and it often feels as if the world is changing constantly. I catch myself wondering if these advancements that are supposed to make life easier—social networking, automated commerce, smartphones—are making it more difficult. My enthusiasm for many new inventions is not exactly overwhelming, and, because of this, I sometimes feel left behind in the past.