Telling the Truth

1995 Mobile Phones, from suggestkeyword.com

By March 1995, Diane has undiagnosed ALS symptoms. Muscles that are here today may disappear overnight. Whatever this is, it’s bigger than post-polio syndrome. Connections with family members become a top priority. Anytime, anywhere.

March 19, 1995

Do you know what this is? It’s a telephone! Usually I don’t bring it to church. But if I need to make a phone call, I like to have it handy.

Here’s the really neat thing about it. I don’t have to be at a certain place to make a phone call! I can be anywhere I want. In my car somewhere. Shopping in the mall. Maybe in the grocery store—more often in a restaurant! I could even make a phone call in the church. I haven’t done that yet, and don’t plan to. But I could!

This phone reminds me a bit of talking to God.

• Do I have to be in a special place to talk to God? No!
• Do I have to be at church to talk to God? No!
• Could I talk to God in my bedroom, all by myself? Yes!
• How about if I’m on vacation like a lot of people are this week? Yes!

I can talk to God anywhere I go!

Here’s another great thing about this phone. Suppose somebody wants to call me when I’m not near the usual kind of phone. Maybe I’m out in my car, or doing some of that shopping in the mall. Can they call me there? Yes!

My family knows the number for this phone, so that when they dial me, it rings. Most of the time. Sometimes I don’t turn on my phone, so they can’t reach me! And sometimes my husband will ask, “Where were you, and why wasn’t your phone turned on?”

In fact, no one can reach me if I don’t turn my phone on. Which reminds me of something else about talking to God.

Sometimes God wants to talk to me, and I’m not listening. It usually happens here at church when the preacher is preaching, or when  I’m reading the Bible, or maybe when I’m listening to a Sunday School teacher. Those are all ways God talks to us. Sometimes I know I’m not listening.

So this little phone reminds me to stay turned on so that when God wants to talk to me I’m listening, and I can hear what God has to say to me.

I knew a child (not one of my kids!), who once told her mother, “Yes I hear you, but I’m not listening!”   Sometimes we can be that way with God, right now and as we get older. Sometimes we really don’t want to hear what God is telling us. So sometimes we can just turn God off the way I can turn my telephone off.

So I ask God to help me to be a good listener, and to keep my “on” button turned on, so that whenever God wants to talk to me, I’m ready to listen.

Sometimes the batteries on my telephone run down, or there may be other problems with the phone. But when I talk to God, I don’t need to worry about any of that! The batteries never run down and I’m never too far away. I don’t even have to worry about monthly bills coming later.

That’s because God set it all up! It’s a free call anytime of the day! Whenever I need to call! And anytime I just want to talk with God, because God is a good friend who loves to have us call and talk.

Let’s pray together.

Thank you, Father, that even without a special device or telephone, we can talk to you anytime, anyplace, no matter what’s going on.  And you hear us.  Thank you for being that kind of listener for us.  I pray, Father, that when you want to speak to us, we’ll be good listeners, too, and be able to hear what you’re saying to us, and learn the things that you want us to learn.  Be with us in church today.  If there are things you want to say to us today, I pray that we’ll be good listeners, and hear everything that you want us to hear today. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

© Elouise Renich Fraser, 22 August 2015
Image of 1995 Mobile Phones from suggestkeyword.com