the evolution of the answering machine

the other day I was thinking about all of the technological changes that I have seen in my lifetime. when you really stop to think about it, you would think that so much change could be traumatic... I remember the first time we got an answering machine at our house...you remember...the ones with the full size cassette tape that you had to rewind to listen to all of your messages..and then that answering machine tape thing came out that had all of the cool songs that you could use as your answering machine message..."wait- for - the beep, you gotta leave your name, you gotta leave your number, wait - for - the beep..." then the next installment of the answering machine came out where you had a mini cassette and a smaller answering machine box to put by the phone on your nightstand...and of course as the answering machine evolved digitally..it has now become a part of your phone or a service that you can get through your phone company....all of that change in about 10-15 years...

Because our generation has grown up in a perpetual state of change, we really don't think much about the evolution of the answering machine but what we often forget is that in our lifetime, we have experienced what for other generations would have been hundreds of years worth of technological change. I wonder if part of cause of the rising levels of stress and heart issues is simply due to never knowing what kind of answering machine will be using next week..okay that may be a stretch but seriously...I know that we speak of change as a positive thing especially when it comes to spiritual things and we are constantly looking to change our churches whether that is the worship style or the dress code..but I also think that it is more crucial than ever to have something in our life that never changes...yes, I am about to give the "sunday school" answer...If we are not completely engulfed in our relationship with the Unchanging God then I am not sure if we will be able to keep our sanity in our everyday tornadoe of change that we live in.. Maybe I need to make a list of God's unchanging characteristics and write them in Sharpie on a list and set it right next to my phone as a reminder that I need something/someone in my life that never changes