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Changes

  • May 8, 2017
  • Posted by: Carolyn Mahal
  • Category: Devotions
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“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”  You’ve undoubtedly heard this phrase used before to describe how there are certain things in life that always stay the same. Take education for example. There are so many things that have been introduced into the field of education over the last 25 years. Some of the changes have come and gone very quickly while others have entrenched themselves into the fabric of our schools.

Take technology for example. Over the last quarter-century computers have revolutionized classrooms and our curriculum. I myself remember fondly the computer class I took (yes, a semester-long class on computers) where a partner and I completed a project where we learned how to code and create a University of Michigan Football Trivia program on a Texas Instruments computer. The data was saved on a cassette tape, just like the ones I used to record songs off the radio on my boom box. Now I realize that today children get free toys with more sophisticated technology than that computer in their fast-food kids meals, but at the time we were on the cutting edge – or so we thought. In hindsight, the class, the coding, and that computer system have all gone the way of the dodo bird. But even in the late 1980’s there was a strong push to integrate technologies into schools that would improve education for students at every level.

Today the sky is the limit with virtual reality, drones, and robotics leading the way. But wait, because by next year there will be something new and revolutionary. Who knows what the latest educational technologies will be by the time I am hanging out with my high school classmates at our 50–year class reunion (which is getting alarmingly close).

But in spite of the tremendous advances, many things have stayed the same. Technology has made information easier to access but in some ways harder to determine if it is genuine and reliable. Instant access can give us quick answers but does so at the cost of seeking more imaginative and creative solutions. Not to mention the struggle that comes with trying to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of new technologies. Think the value of a car depreciates quickly? Try investing significant money into a new set of computers, smartboards, or tablets. Their expiration dates are coming even faster than my aforementioned reunion!

In the midst of all of these life changes it is comforting to know that our God has remained the same. Consider the words of Isaiah 40:8 which tell us that, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” We can always turn to God through His word to find Him and to find our salvation through His Son about whom Hebrews 13:8 proclaims: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Technologies will come and go but our reliance on our loving God will stand the test of time – guaranteed eternally!

 

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

LSEM Director of Programs & Services