Are You In Love With Your Laptop?

There’s a movie out right now called “Her.”  For the sake of today’s discussion, allow me to set it up for you.

According to the reviews and previews,  “Her” is a romance with a unique twist. One of the lovebirds, the female lead, is actually a highly advanced computer operating system, the other a lonely man whose marriage has failed. The man falls in love with this disembodied female voice on his smart phone and apparently the rest of the movie is a study of their relationship and whether or not it is real. It’s not treated as a comedy. The filmmaker behind “Her” describes it as, “an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world.”

I haven’t seen this movie, but from where I sit, having a conversation about the love affair between a man and his computer operating system has more to say about the woeful disconnect plaguing our endlessly connected selves than some evolving risk of intimacy.

The perils of relationships in our modern world aren’t any different than they were when we took our number two pencils and sent love notes to our first grade crushes.  I remember full well how my heart pounded so hard I thought it would jump out of my chest. Be honest. You remember that feeling, too.

The truth is that loving others will always leave us vulnerable and exposed on some level and yet, we were born with a God given desire for intimacy. So, what are we to do? It’s simple, really. The answer for our condition is as old as the human race.

The ultimate security for our needy hearts is found in celebrating and reciprocating the love that God lavished on the world at the Cross. Only when our lives are built on Love Himself are we able to have healthy relationships with another flesh and blood person. Anything less and well, we might find ourselves engaged to our computers.

Hugs, Shellie