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"The one constant in life is change." This old adage still rings true. And one of the biggest sources for that constant change? Technology. Moore's Law is a helpful rule of thumb when considering the acceleration of technology. In 1965, Gordon Moore, a tech researcher, observed that we can expect the power of computers to roughly double every two years. Plotted on a graph, this rate of change eventually goes parabolic, meaning changes in technology are happening so quickly now that it's nearly unrecognizable. Remember the first cell phone? It was a brick. Then cell phones got smaller. We then tried out flip phones. Smartphones happened. And now we're moving back to flip phones—did you notice? In the last five years alone, I've seen my own workplace (a nonprofit creative agency) move from printed paper reviews that were manually passed around the office in plastic folders to emails with PDF attachments and now to a cloud-based review system. Looking further back over changes in the industry, we can trace the progression from mailed documents to fax machines to emails to DocuSign. The point? The one constant at work (and in life) is change—and often, change is sparked by emerging technology. Changing technology can streamline processes and reduce company spending. It can cut excess and increase productivity. Thinking again of my workplace over the last five years, we've doubled the number of jobs that cross our desks each year while maintaining (and even trimming) our headcount. How? Technological efficiencies. While we can guarantee that technological changes will continue to evolve in the workplace, the idea of ongoing change doesn't energize every employee. A staff-wide email announcing a software update can be enough to make some stomachs queasy. And especially after the last two-plus years of pressurized and politicized dynamics seeping into the office, the seemingly nonstop technological pivots to accommodate remote work can contribute to feelings of fatigue and burnout. There's a high chance you or someone you know has been dealing with burnout at work. And while a technology change isn't necessarily the source for that burnout, the amount of change that's happened at an accelerated rate in the last two-plus years can play into work-related stress. Technological changes have shown our resilience and resourcefulness in the face of a global pandemic. It's united and equipped people like never before. Some co-workers might seem more stubborn or withdrawn than usual, but their resistance to learning another new program may be a sign of a deeper sense of exhaustion and fatigue. I celebrate the early adapters and visionaries among us who blaze the technological trail and see glimmers of what our future world of work could look like. We need you and are grateful for your gifts. But for employees (and employers) who are feeling discouraged and tired of trying to keep up with the latest technological advances, hear the good news: There is something—rather, someone—who is even more dependable than change. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." His love for you requires no ongoing system updates. Receiving the grace and mercy offered to you in Jesus doesn't necessitate the need for new equipment. Rather, the Spirit who claimed you as His own in your Baptism is the same Counselor who brings you peace and the same Guide who lights your path forward when everything else seems chaotic and confusing. Thanks be to God! In a workplace where processes and procedures can seem ever-changing, we can cling to the reality that Jesus remains the same. When learning the newest technology seems too overwhelming for the day, Jesus is ready to provide His easy yoke for your rest in His care (Matthew 11:29–30). And when you're ready to give it a go once again, Christ's patience and perseverance will sustain you as you do the good work He's prepared for you to do through your vocation. w Lutheran Life 9

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