“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16
TV programming is almost a thing of the past. People are now able to choose what program they want to watch and when they want to watch it. Offering people more choices seems like a good thing. However, it means we can’t discuss the previous night’s viewing with our colleagues. The more choices that are offered to us the more we lose the bond of a shared experience. The impact socially may lead to more isolation.
This can be true even in the small choices we make. When I was a child the choice of cereals was very small. We had one box of cereal in the cupboard and everyone shared. Now we have 3 or 4 boxes of cereal and everyone has their choice. We think that because there are so many options that we should pick our favourites every time. But should we?
Having lots of choices isn’t a bad thing but our attitude can be a problem. We can easily become selfish if we think that we must always have our first preference. Jesus tells us to lay down our lives for others. This can mean laying down our choices and our need to have our preferences met.
Being part of a church means we can’t always get our first preference, especially when it comes to songs and music. However, it also means we benefit from shared experiences, we curb feelings of isolation and gain a sense of community.
Devotional Thought : 1 John 3:16
