Faith Words: Weak Signal

Off and on over the summer, we've been experiencing problems with our cable and Internet service.  At first, we excused it as weather related - you know, the wind was blowing hard and creating static that was scrambling the signal or the rain and associated clouds were interfering with the signal causing short-term outages.  The problems would come and go and resolve without us doing anything. So we just ignored it and went on our way.

Then, the problems became more frequent, sometimes resulting in hours of poor quality service or none at all.  Time to call in the experts.  The cable service people came and replaced our modem, our digital receiver, and the connectors in the box where the cable came into the house. Yes!  Fixed!  Back in business!  For a while.

Little by little the problems recurred.  We'd have good service for extended periods of time with just short periods of interference.  The interference periods grew longer and longer until finally we had no service at all.

What happened?  We checked out our equipment.  Maybe we needed a new TV.  No.  That worked fine when we bypassed the receiver.  Hmm.  What could be the problem? Call the experts back.

This time, the service tech rechecked everything in the house and determined that all the pieces inside were working properly.  He kept checking and discovered that the problem was in the transmission lines coming from the outside in.  They fixed the lines.  Now the interference problem is gone.  The signal is clear and constant.

I realized from this little episode that sometimes I lose my spiritual signal.  I start off with a strong signal but gradually it degrades and things become unclear.  I reboot, as it were, and everything works well for a while and I feel connected strongly to the Father.  Then, I begin having little periods of lost signal, followed by increasingly longer times of disconnect till there seems to be no connection at all.  What happened?

I have all the right equipment.  I go to church.  I read the Bible.  I read uplifting books and books that will help me understand the Christian walk.  I surround myself with good people.  I rededicate myself to doing better, to working harder, to reading more of the Bible, to studying more, to going to more classes.  But still the signal becomes weak and I give up, feeling burned out and empty.

Then it dawns on me.  It's not the equipment, not the mechanics.  I'm not connected to the power source!  I'm no longer connected to the One who makes it work.  Instead, I'm trying everything I know how to do to make it work myself.  I need to get reconnected to the Power that makes going to church something more than a social experience, that makes reading the Bible something more than just reading a book, that makes good books something more than a pastime, that makes good people something more than acquaintances.

I've neglected the transmission lines and lost the power that I can never supply on my own.  I need to have a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ by the Power of the Holy Spirit.  That's how I'll have the power to receive clear spiritual signals.  I don't even have to do the work myself.  I just need to connect to Him and let Him work through me.  Problem solved.

It's only "problem solved" if I maintain the connection by prayer and praise and submission to Him.  I need to check the connection regularly to make sure there is no interference.  No more weak signal.

Connected to the Power.

Patrice

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.