Why We Never Hear God

It occurred to me the other day just why many of us never hear God in our lives.

We seem to be in a constant war with boredom.

Technology has been a boon for spare time for those who benefit from it.  Whereas at one time, most folks spent their time laboring in the field producing just enough food to scrape by, now, factory farms produce an overabundance of food so that the vast majority of people no longer have to work to produce it. 

This has freed countless hours up for extra activities, and honestly, we don't know what to do with all that spare time.

First, we tried to fill it up with school and education.  The printing press made books available so that we could use our imaginations.  Imagination led to creativity, and we were able to create all sorts of jobs which are not agriculturally based.  This managed to fill up some of the spare time we had, but not all of it.  Therefore we started inventing sports and games and other such things to bide our time.

Then we had the advent of the radio.  We could listen to music and commentary; however, we were once limited in the distance we could take the music and talk.  Pesky electrical cords.

Ah, but that was soon resolved as radios entered our cars.  Now, we could take music and talk with us as we traveled. 

Television followed soon thereafter.  As an extra added "bonus", t.v. enabled us to turn off our imaginations.  We no longer had to construct pictures of the words coming over the airwaves.

Ah, then the computer and video games.  And now IPad's, Kindle Fires, Smart Phones, IPod's.  No longer do we have to be without music, entertainment, talk, or video.  Every second of free time can be filled with something--engaging our brains at all moments.  (Sometimes this is a blessing.  I was able to stream Netflix on my Kindle to keep my kids entertained while waiting in the doctor's waiting room.  I find they get in much less trouble that way.  However, one must also take the bad with the good.) 

And so, we no longer have quiet.  We no longer have the place where we can listen to that still, small voice, the place where the voice of God comes to us without distraction.

In our war on boredom, we've destroyed quiet and reflection.  Many no longer even seek it out.

And we never hear God.