“On Demand”

I Googled it.

• movies on demand
• tv on demand
• printing on demand
• certification on demand
• gaming on demand
• video on demand

I could have searched further, but I knew I’d find some things I really didn’t want to think about being “on demand.”

Wait. I’m skipping a biggie. Social media. Yes, it definitely fits into the on demand category.

I’ll confess there are some things that I like for their convenience. I like being able to purchase an ebook and have it quickly delivered to my Kindle. I like dvr-ing shows so I can watch them when I want without commercials. I like being able to Google something and get a quick answer, although I’m pretty careful with this one, because contrary to popular belief, everything on the internet is not as factual as you might like it to be. (Shocking, right?) But while we’re on the subject, being able to find something that supports what we want to believe is just another sign of our “on demand” culture.

We want what we want when we want it.

Or, do we?

While we like the convenience of some things, we need to draw the line between convenience and on demand. Is there really anything that we should demand? Maybe I’m overthinking this one, but if we get used to using the word demand, and we get used to the convenience that demand gives us, won’t we begin to think we deserve anything we want to be on demand? It’s a slippery slope.

Convenience isn’t a bad thing, but we shouldn’t demand it.

What are you demanding? It might not be anything I’ve mentioned. Maybe you demand your spouse or children respond or behave a certain way. Maybe you demand a level of respect, recognition, or pay at work. Maybe you demand a level of involvement or organization.

In case no one has told you recently…you are not the center of the universe. What you want isn’t what you deserve.

Life isn’t on demand. It’s on faith. How well are you living it? What do you need to stop demanding and start accepting?