Connection

Today I am in Pennsylvania.

I looked this afternoon for a connection that will allow me to get onto the internet. The little community where we are staying has very few places where you can access free wi-fi. At first it was a little disconcerting not being able to gather e-mail and research topics, but as time passed it was liberating not to be "constantly connected."

I am dependent on being connected (to the internet). It is a lifeline to a wealth of resources that enable me to function daily in the work that I do.

Then it caused me to think.

Am I connected?

Am I "constantly connected?"

I am not talking about the internet. I am thinking about a different connection.

I want to be connected to God so that I can recognize His activity in my life and the lives of those around me.

Finally this afternoon we went into a little coffee shop on Main Street and found a wireless signal that allowed access to the web. It required a purchase of liquid libations. As soon as we paid our bill the girl behind the counter handed me a post-it note with a series of numbers and letters written in pen.

Voila! We were on-line...email flooded the screen...people needing responses swamped my inbox...news feeds bombarded my home page....spam overflowed....headlines demanded my attention. All that in the first few moments of being connected.

That burst of activity made me weary. But then again, I asked for it.

Being connected places great demands on one's life. Being connected requires something.

The only way to survive is to make certain that we are "constantly connected" to Him

I love these words from Matthew's gospel...."In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part." Matthew 6:14

I am committed to being connected to this God of Grace...24-7.