Twenty-Four Seven Service

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are finding it difficult to get service personnel online or by telephone. It seems all service lines have this disclaimer, “Due to the coronavirus pandemic you may experience longer than usual waits as many of our personnel are not coming to work.” Experience tells us that even during usual calls waiting times are longer than we want, but now we are being told that they will be longer than usual! Add to that the frustration of dropped calls and having to begin the process all over again, this can be infuriating.

I have even more difficulty dealing with technological issues because of where I live. Our house sits at the back of our 40 acres, in a valley with a power line close by. When I was with AT&T I could not get acceptable service as the closest transmission station was close to one mile away. Then I changed my carrier to Verizon and my service got even worse. When a call comes on my cell phone I answer and don’t hear anything until after I search frantically for a signal all over the house, and even then most of the time the person on the other end tells me that I am breaking up.

When I signed up for Verizon, I was told that a little device they sell called a Jetpack will enable me to receive “strong” signals no matter where I am in my home. I find that in order to get wi-fi using this device I have to actually carry it with me from room to room, and then the signal is sketchy.

I wanted to utilize what is called an extender to strengthen my signal but then was told that in order for the extender to work I would need an inhouse router. I settled on HughesNet only to discover that their signal also was not strong enough to download anything on my television. To download a movie I needed 5 Mbps and I was only getting .5 Mbps. Also, after purchasing a two year agreement I learned that HughesNet does not support calls on my cell phone.

So, to bring us to the present. Since our church and my daughter’s church are streaming their services we have to “attend” church online. My son-in-law’s 24 minute sermon this morning took over an hour to listen to due to constant buffering. And, this was with my Jetpack sitting two feet from me.

Do you sense my frustration?

However, the Bible tells me that all things work together for my good. It also tells me that what Satan means for evil, God turns it to our good. As I begin my search for how this all applies to me, I will share with you some insights I got this morning during my “buffering” time.

Maybe God has something better for me than watching TV and movies. Maybe using that time spent in front of the tube and snacking during advertisements (actually I record everything and I just hit pause and head for the kitchen) I could better use going for a walk with my facemask on and keeping away from other walkers.

Maybe I should just read a good book instead of sitting in front of the tube. Hey, here is a novel idea-have stimulating conversations with my wife! Write an encouraging letter to a friend. Study the Bible. You get the picture.

I had another stimulating insight as well. I thought of speaking and listening to the Lord and how easy it is to reach him. I am so glad that He is always reachable regardless of a signal. His signal, the Holy Spirit, is always strong and always available. Even though you and I often “buffer,” He doesn’t. It does help if we are close to Him spiritually but hard times seem to draw us closer to him. He is both our Jetpack and our Extender.

I have to say here that none of the companies I mentioned above are doing anything wrong, they all work excellently when I am in the right place. It is because of my being down in this valley that all but eliminates any signal. When I am in the right place (on the highway, at a neighbor’s or in a hotel), I have no problem with sending and receiving emails, streaming podcasts, etc.

I have found in all this that with God I also need to be in the right place. When I come to him in faith with humility and in right standing, I have no problem communicating (called prayer). However, when I have been living adversely to His Word, I find that even though He has no problem speaking to me, I have problems hearing Him. Perhaps, I am in the wrong place and need to draw closer to Him so I can receive His “transmission.”

Hopefully, today as you read this you are getting a strong signal, but if not maybe you should find the right place.