Seriously?

“Netflix Changed My Life”

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

 

Mouth agape, I listened as a member of the geek squad stood on the sales floor expounding upon the latest and greatest technology within the computer our youngest was about to purchase.

“Seriously? Netflix changed my life.”

I stared.

“I mean thousands of movies for only seven dollars a month and all those thoughts in them? Seriously? It changed my life.”

Eyebrows raised, I continued to stare.

“Wow!” I finally mustered. Out of sheer respect, our youngest nodded in agreement.

I couldn’t resist. “You know what changed my life? Jesus Christ. Now that’s a life changer!”

This time it was he who stared…nodding. I didn’t mean to be sarcastic. I didn’t mean to be demeaning. And so to make that point, I simply gave him a smile and a head bobble to boot. In kind, he smiled back.

He continued. “You can like sync it to your i-phone and that is like really cool.”

My daughter pulled out the dinosaur no internet version of her-phone.

“Well, that’s like totally cool too.” He continued. “…and the speed? Like, look at the difference.” With a click of the button, he powered up the two she was considering.

We waited. Soon, the newer version of the two responded faster than I could blink, but as I was still taking my next breath, the other one came to life as well.

Again, I couldn’t resist. “Like…totally slow. I had to wait…wow…like six seconds? I mean, for three-hundred dollars less…that would be totally cool with me.”

He was beginning to understand my lingo as he was the one to smile first this time. I felt seriously out of sync…totally on foreign soil, and with the elongated accents upon each syllable there was a slight communication delay of approximately six seconds…but that was apparently totally cool too.

“What planet are these guys living on?” I asked our daughter on the drive home.

Thank God for the grace she extended to her mother. Seriously? It changed my life.

“Yea, I know. You should hear some of the kids I work with. They try to imitate that, and I just don’t get it.”

I no longer felt alone. But what I did feel was a twinge of conviction, and I took pause.

James 2:13 reminds, “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”

Help me to love when upon another planet or the appearance thereof.  Amen.