BOUND BY A PROMISE
“I promised my dad before he passed away that I would continue doing this as long as I possibly could.” Jason Barber is an eighth-generation farmer on his family’s 100-acre farm in Unionville, Tennessee. What makes Barber’s promise notable is that he suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable condition that causes vision loss. His central vision is mostly gone, so he relies on his peripheral vision and artificial intelligence to help him. Jason uses AI apps and his smartphone camera to more clearly identify the world around him. His phone can “read” the ear tags on his cattle, “tell” him whether his gates are open or closed, and assist him with various tasks necessary for running a farm. “I’m not going to fall back on a promise that I’ve kept,” Barber says. “I’m a man of my word just like my dad was always. We do what we say we’re going to do.”
BOUND BY AN OATH
After the walls of Jerusalem were repaired under Nehemiah’s leadership, the people made a covenant to uphold the law of the Lord. They vowed to fulfill their obligations in their relationships with others, their practices of worship, and their support of the restored temple. To affirm their commitment, they bound themselves with a curse and an oath, promising to obey God’s ordinances.
Questions
- When have you seen technology help someone complete an important task or overcome an obstacle?
- What’s a promise you kept even though doing so was difficult?
- What do you think motivated the people in Jerusalem to bind themselves with an oath and a curse?
