My age is starting to catch up with me.
Apple offered an upgrade to its iPhone operating system to iOS 26, and some of the changes baffled me. Like, they moved the search bar on texts and notes from the top of the screen to the bottom. I think it took me a day to figure that out. And they made some upgrades to call capabilities, like hold assistant. I have no idea what to do with that when it pops up. As for the changes to cropping screen shots, I’m as lost as socks in a dryer – well, at least at first. Eventually, I figured it out.
I do love the new call screening feature though. So there’s that. That’s bad news for AI Sue from the “Loan Processing Department” who calls me five times a day, saying she’s ready to complete my application if I’ll just give her the go ahead. It seems like the scammers aren’t even trying anymore. Couldn’t they at least come up with a fictitious bank name?
I’m not a technology oaf, though. Really, I’m not. But I also know that change doesn’t always equal progress, and newer isn’t always better. The Bible places an emphasis on faithfulness, steadfastness and abiding – all of which are “staying” words, rather than “upgrading” words. We are called to stay faithful, to stay steadfast and to remain in Christ.
Sometimes, change and adaptation are necessary. But contentment shouldn’t be viewed as a character flaw. In Psalm 131:2 (ESV), David wrote, “I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.”
It’s believed that David wrote this short psalm before he came to the throne – maybe while he was still in Saul’s court or being persecuted by him. His ambitions weren’t for the crown. He didn’t plot or scheme his way there. Instead, he calmed and quieted his soul. I’m sure he would have preferred not to hide in caves, on the run for his life. But that’s the point. He found a way to calm his soul while he ran.
Think about a calm lake. You might find the trace of bugs causing a V shape as they scurry across the top of the water. And you’ll hear the occasional fish jump. But as you gaze across the water’s surface, you can feel your heart rate and breathing slow down.
That’s what David found. He didn’t get the positional upgrade to king right away, but he quieted himself as he waited. I’m still annoyed when Apple moves my search bar. But maybe the real upgrade isn’t iOS 26. Maybe it’s learning to calm my soul when things don’t work the way I want them to. To find contentment not in having everything stay the same, but in trusting the One who never changes.
I still have work to do. And I’m guessing you do too. But we can choose contentment … in the waiting, in the frustration, in the circumstances we didn’t choose. Some days, I manage it. Other days, I’m still looking for the search bar, irritated and restless. But maybe that’s what David meant by calming and quieting his soul – it’s an active choice, made again and again, not a permanent state we achieve.
