By Vincent Lively

Long gone are the days where kids used to play outside from sun up to sun down. Drinking from the garden hose or a slow-moving stream has now become an item of hesitation or even disgust. I often reflect on a time in a not so distant history where silent summer nights were shattered by the laughter of children running through the yard chasing lightning bugs without a care in the world. Somewhere through the course of time in this ever-changing world holding a door open for a stranger or saying please and Thank You has all but disappeared. Those days have since been replaced by meals eaten in silence around tables illuminated by the iridescent glow of cell phone screens. As the world we live in becomes more enamored with an instant gratification culture maybe it’s time this ever-changing world, changes yet again. In a world filled with sorrow and destruction, we could all use a little more please and thank you. In a society that breeds distance and disconnection, maybe it’s time we return back to the way things used to be. I’m reminded of the words penned in James chapter 4 that say “whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Every day that we are given is a gift from God. Every breath we take could be our last. Knowing that this life truly is like a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow, maybe it’s time we slow down and unplug from the world. In this ever-changing world in which we live, it’s time we cherish every moment God has given us and take the time to thank God for his blessings.