December 29, 2023

As we approach the final day of this year, I am reminded of what the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the believers in Philippi (please see “Scripture for the weekend”). I don’t know if he wrote this epistle near the end of a year, but his counsel can help us at any time of the year. We can ask the Lord to help us to not dwell on past sins, but to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, sharing the gospel of Christ with others and looking forward to being with Him in heaven.

In “Comparison: The Thief of Joy” Jennifer Grant writes: “Postmarked February 17, 1927, the envelope has browned with age. Its damp, musty smell tingles my nose. I carefully remove the letter inside, unfolding two sheets of delicate stationery bearing news from Harry Kerr of Coggon, Iowa. In neat cursive, Harry writes to his cousins in rural Illinois about the state of his tractor, trouble at the local bank, and the jackrabbits who feast like ‘hogs’ on his corn. He then writes: Was glad to hear you had a radio. You are right in touch with everything now, and you will hear all manner of things.

Sentences like that, rich with historical undertones, are why I collect old letters. I love to imagine what life was like for people like Harry Kerr and piece together parts of their stories from clues in their correspondence. Letters like this one also give me perspective on the blessings – and potential hazards – of the moment in time in which we live.”

I remember listening to the radio a lot when I was growing up. Finding a station in St. Louis that broadcast games of the Cardinals’ baseball team prepared me for when Montreal was granted an expansion franchise team. I was even more excited when Curt Flood gave me his bat during a pre-game batting practice. I didn’t care that it had a crack – I showed it to my friends and told them that I wanted Flood’s autograph, but had no idea that I would get it on his bat.

A lot has changed since the 1960s. The Expos are no longer playing baseball in Montreal and thanks to the Internet and modern technology, people around the world hear news very soon after something has happened. It is comforting to know that the Word of God is unchanging and the Lord’s love for mankind is unchanging.

Jennifer Grant observes: “The tenth commandment forbids envy or wishing to possess anything that belongs to our neighbors (Exodus 20:17), but isn’t that what we find ourselves doing when we scroll through social media, noting how happy this family seems or how stylish that renovated kitchen looks or how successful that friend is? One recent study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at the effects of time spent on social media versus ‘face-to-face time’ with another person. When we are present with others, self-esteem and life satisfaction are raised. However, observing other people online can have just the opposite effect, the study suggested.

And that negative blow to our sense of well-being has to do with envy. It’s unlikely that we ever visit a social media platform with the intention of experiencing envy, or even comparing our lives with others. But given the ever-increasing amount of time we spend on social media, it seems inevitable we will feel it.

What God wants for us is joy. In John 15:11, Christ says he tells us ‘these things’ in order that we will have joy – and have that joy in great abundance. Left unchecked, comparing our lives, possessions, and accomplishments with what we look at online can rob our joy.”

May we take all our cares to the Lord, who loves us with an everlasting love!

Scripture for the weekend: “… forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-14 (NKJV)

Steve