Heart and soul

By Jeff Becraft

I think I might want to be a smartphone when I grow up.

That way I can say whatever I want, do whatever I want, respond or not respond, and the list goes on. If somebody asked me to call someone, I can simply say, “I’m sorry, there’s no one by that name in your contacts,” (even though the name is spelled correctly right down to the letter on the screen). Or I could give weather reports that aren’t even close to being accurate. Through my GPS, I could send people into the mixing bowl in Northern Virginia at 4:00 pm in the afternoon or I could send them zig zagging through a neighborhood, hitting a stop sign every block… and I could reassure them that they are on the best route. I could say there is a 9 minute slowdown when we have been sitting there for 30 minutes. There are all kinds of things I could do…

… and people would still call me smart.

But you know, when I think about it… is that really the life I want to live?

I don’t think so.

To not follow through, to do whatever I want, to not cooperate, to give false information, just as long as I come out looking good and people say that I am smart?

I don’t think so.

There might be a lot of good uses for technology and AI, but one thing technology and AI is missing is heart and soul. And what we need in a lot of people’s lives is we need other people with heart and soul. It’s fine to have resources, but it takes people… people who care, people who love, people who make mistakes, people who come along beside us… and bring joy and gladness and encouragement to our hearts.

That’s really the kind of life I want to live.

So let’s go out and bring some joy to somebody’s life today… wherever we are.

Jeff Becraft is the Director of Our Place of Hope, where people find encouragement to regain meaning, purpose, and hope for their lives. Jeff has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. If you would like Jeff to speak to your group or event, you can connect with him at  [email protected].