When “Googled” Becomes “Taped”
It doesn’t take long in our world for something to become obsolete. I’m old enough to remember when my parents got their first television. I thought it was wonderful. The three of us could sit in front of a fairly large piece of furniture and watch comedies, westerns, sports, news, etc. in “living black and white” as long as the antenna was working properly.
Back then I never dreamed that I’d ever have a color television that I could hang on a wall and have my choice of what to watch on more than three channels. It never occurred to me back then that I could choose the channel I wanted to watch, find that channel, and start watching it — all without ever leaving the comfort of my recliner that works with the push of a button.
Now, we can even decide when we choose to watch our favorite shows. I have noticed, though, that some of my vocabulary about this is dated. I’m still in the habit of sometimes saying that I will tape a program so that I can watch it when it is convenient for me. I’m no expert in electronics, but I don’t think that there is any tape involved in this process. There was a time when this was true, but it no longer is. I’m trying to learn to say “record,” but “taped” still creeps into my vocabulary.
So – what does “googled” have to do with all of this? It seems to me that Google and other search engines (a phrase that would have made no sense just a few years ago) have become the latest in a long line of methods by which we obtain information. I remember talking to a preacher a few years ago about the growing use of technology. He expressed the opinion that, before long, pictures of preachers, lawyers, and others might change. Instead of seeing them at their desk with multiple shelves of books in the background, the picture might be of him sitting at a desk with a laptop open in front of him.
I’m guessing that, as long as the world continues, there will be newer and more modern ways of doing just about everything – including finding information. I have no idea what would replace the methods we have at our disposal now, but I had no idea a number of years ago that we would be where we are now either. It is also not difficult for me to imagine people like me who get caught in some type of “time warp” and who will refer to whatever methods that are available then as “googled.”
All of this serves as a reminder to me that, in a world of rapid change, some things do not change. To me, the most important of those things are God, who is eternal, and “…the word of God that liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:23).
Instead of pulling a Bible off of a shelf or picking it up from a table or desk, I can do research in multiple translations, commentaries, word studies, etc. by pulling a phone out of my pocket. The technology has changed tremendously, but the message is still the same.
That unchanging message should be to all of us our motivation as we live. It most certainly will be the standard by which we are judged.
AUTHOR: Jim Faughn