Time for an Upgrade?

It seems like every time I turn around (and if you are the parent of a teenager, you know where I am coming from) the kids are asking for some kind of upgrade of this or that technological gadget in our household. And it also seems like the older version should still be more than adequate. Ah, but that’s not how our consumer world works these days.

Does anyone else wonder what this propensity to upgrade everything is doing to our kids? I know I fall into the same trap as most other parents, so I’m not excused here. We live in a world that is constantly trying to tell us that what we have isn’t good enough. We need to upgrade or switch out or improve. We live in a society that is always saying “there’s something better out there and you need to get your hands on it!”

Of course, there really are times that it seems an upgrade might be a good idea. For instance traveling down the beltway last week in Mother’s car, she handily pulled out a map when we were slightly unsure what exit to take for the baseball game we were headed towards.

“Yay, a map!” I told her. “Look for the ______ exit on the beltway.”

Says Mother, “There is no beltway on this map.”

“What do you mean there is NO beltway?”

“Well, this map was given to me by my sister in 1991. See? I wrote it right here. There wasn't a beltway back then.”

“Uh……ok Things have definitely changed in SEVENTEEN years.”

At which point my daughter chimes in from the backseat, IPOD earbuds still in place,
“Granny, it might be time for an upgrade on that map.”

All His products are guaranteed to last—
Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof
All that he makes and does is honest and true…
…His Hallelujah lasts forever!
Psalm 111:7-8, 10 (Message translation)