closer

Its amazing how the internet has revolutionized the world. I remember 10 years ago the internet was a pretty boring thing. There was email, but no one really had an email address. There were web pages to surf, but I wasn't interested because there just seemed to be all these informative web pages and none that were really "fun". I thought the internet was boring. And then ICQ came out. It was the coolest thing in the world. Now suddenly I was able to message multiple friends over the internet and chat with them over the computer. This was pretty huge because I wasn't a phone person - I'm still not really a phone person. ICQ allowed me to communicate with a lot of people - having separate conversations with each one. I was able to develop and work at 10 one-on-one relationships at once! Plus I was able to communicate with people overseas or people that I normally didn't get a chance to see. The whole world was brought closer. I didn't have to physically be with a person to actually develop a relationship with them. The internet was suddenly cool.

And look at it now. 10 years later and now its hard to find someone who DOESN'T have an email address. There are so many different webpages to suit everyone's interests and personalities. And although ICQ seems to have disappeared (how come no one's on it anymore?) MSN (in Canada), AIM (in the US), and iChat (for Macs) have taken its place. (side note - everyone in the US uses AIM and I know no one who uses it in Canada.. how odd) The internet brings the world closer to us. I'm not sure what I would do without it now. I use it to do so many things. Email, instant messaging, looking for information, research, looking up journals, looking for pictures, viewing photo albums, reading blogs, evaluating and researching board games, playing games, video phone, and regular phone. Using skype to call home is great! Its free (well, "included" with an internet connection) and you can talk for as long as you want. The internet brings people closer.

I think in the same way, Jesus' death and resurrection brings God closer to us. When we are born, sin separates us from God. God is holy. We are not. God is good. We are not. God is blameless. We are not. God is righteous. We are not. God is just. We are not. God was worlds apart from us. Then Jesus comes along. God in the flesh. He went through the same temptations that any of us would face, but the difference was that he did not sin. He was holy, good, blameless, rightous, and just. Before Jesus, we had no way to bridge that gap. With Jesus, that gap is closer - God's world is closer. We are no longer separated from God, but able to stand with God. Jesus brought God's world to us, and for that I will be forever grateful.

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
~Romans 5:19