As 2020 begins, I decided to reflect on the advancement of the technology that has occurred over the last 25 years. I remember when we did not have the internet. We used to write letters, use encyclopedias, and depend on newspapers and television to learn about current events. Cell phones were a luxury and often considered a nuisance because people could always find us. Paper maps were important anytime we traveled. As a side note: my husband sometimes became exasperated with me as I tried to read a map while he drove. I wasn’t a good map reader. We often laugh about that today, especially when GPS takes us the wrong way.

Technology began to advance year after year. We could email instead of write letters. We could find out anything we needed to know on Google, and cell phones became a necessity. We no longer had to depend on paper maps, as our phone could give us directions.

Then social media became a part of our lives. We thought it was wonderful. We could reconnect with long lost friends. However, technology has also caused many people to retreat into their own worlds. They are absorbed on their phones, talk online rather than in real life, and spend most of their day on social media.

I believe it is time to break that cycle. I did an experiment recently in a business meeting I conducted. Upon entering the conference room, everyone had to put their cell phone in a basket. I wanted their full attention. It was amazing to watch the frustration of some of them. They could not operate without a cell phone in front of them!

This year, instead of absentmindedly picking up your phone or scrolling social media, make a conscious effort to connect with someone. We have lost the personal touch. Recognize that everyone is going through something, and a kind word of encouragement can go a long way to lift someone up.

I am grieved when I see unkind posts and bickering on social media. It’s incredible how unfiltered people can be when they are not face-to-face with a person. The Apostle Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 4:29–32,“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Let’s make 2020 a year we concentrate on being kind one to another as the Word has commanded us. Instead of focusing on the negatives of people, look at their good qualities.

My dad would tell the story of how a man always said positive things about everyone. His friends never heard him say a derogatory word about anyone. Several people attended the funeral of one of the most corrupt men in that town. This man also went to the funeral. Everyone was listening to hear what positive thing he would say about the deceased. As he approached the casket, these words came from his lips, “He sure had pretty teeth.”

I encourage you to show kindness to people you don’t know. Anonymously pay for someone’s bill at a restaurant. You never know how a simple act can lift the spirits of someone who perhaps had a hard day.

Be sensitive to the needs of those around you: your fellow employees, church friends, personal friends, and family. Concentrate on verbal conversations rather than texting. Take a break from social media. You will find that it has been taking way too much of your time.

Take time to interact with your children rather than placing a phone or other media devices in their hand as a babysitter. An article I read alarmed me. Researchers are finding learning disabilities in children who spend more time on media devices rather than interacting with humans.

Make this year a year of change. Declutter your life and spread acts of kindness daily. The satisfaction and joy you will experience in showing kindness to others will amaze you.