It has been rather chaotic today in the office of Itawamba Christian Church.  The issue today centers around our internet service.  For some reason we have been unable to go online at the Church building and this has created several problems.  Like so many other entities in our world today, we find ourselves very dependent upon the the internet.  Not having means trying to remember how we got work done prior to its advent and a general sense of frustration.

A sign of how desperate the problem is can be found as I started to try and figure out the source of the problem.  A huge fire occurred last Sunday afternoon and I wondered if that could be a cause.  That answer quickly was dismissed when I remembered the internet was working fine on Monday and Tuesday when I had used them.  Next I looked at the intimidating clump of wires that bring the service into and around the various stations in the office.  Everything looked fine at the router but I unplugged it hoping that resetting it might solve the problem.  It didn’t.  Next, I began to identify and trace the wires entering the router back to the device connecting them to the outside world.  As I carefully identified the correct cable and got back to the source I noticed what was shocking.  It was unplugged!  Eureka!  I plugged it in and within a few minutes life was pretty much back to normal.

This whole episode has me thinking.  This actually feels a bit familiar.  Familiar, not with respect to computers and the internet but rather with me and my sometimes inability to live as God deserves and as I intend to live.  Perhaps my connection with God isn’t what it should be.  For me the first symptom of a strained connection with God is in the area of anxiety.  I find myself worrying about things and feeling more anxious about God’s provision than in the past.  I also see signs of disconnection as I am less patient with others.

Over my life I have grown from not having the clarity or wisdom to see the true picture of my disconnection when it happens to now where I am able to troubleshoot the problems when they arise and take the proper corrective action.  I am grateful to God’s Spirit who is chipping away the rough edges of my life as I grow in Christ.  What I hope, however, is that eventually I will never choose to live in a way that potentially strains that connection with my Creator.  I am seeing progress but I still feel I have have miles to go.  Scripture tells us that our hearts are deceitful and I certainly can agree with that!

Dealing with issues in the office today are a pain and of course I am grateful to get back to normal but I must admit that it was a gentle reminder to watch my life and to be aware of the constant attacks of the evil one.  I hope your connection with the King is strong and are walking well with Him today!  If you sense some strain or distance, don’t forget to check to make sure you are plugged in!