We’ve been having some internet issues at home for several months now. Most days our internet connection would work just fine. But then every now and then we’d get the dreaded words, on our computer or other devices, “No Internet Connection.”
To remedy the situation, what had to be done was the tried-and-true trick my technologically astute son told me to always try first. Unplug the device, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. That’s like an automatic reset. So, that’s what I would usually do. I’d unplug our modem and router, and then plug them back in again. That would usually take care of things and our internet would work fine. However lately, it seems when a bad day hits, we’d lose the internet connection several times a day. It was getting to the point that unplugging the devices and plugging them back in again, didn’t seem to be having the desired effect.
So, yesterday I went to our internet providers office. I told them the problem I was having. The friendly staff person looked me up on her computer. Sure enough…I was in the system. Then she almost chuckled and gasped at the same time. She said something like, “Well, your modem is rather old. There have been several upgrades since you purchased your current modem.” I wanted to say… “It’s only 6 ½ years old…that’s how long we’ve been in that house. 6 ½ years isn’t old.” I didn’t say anything because I could see my son rolling his eyes and whispering to me, “Dad, 6 ½ years is ancient in technology time.”
What really got me thinking was when the woman helping me indicated, that because of my old equipment, I wasn’t receiving the full benefit of the connection possibilities available to me. In other words, I was missing out on connection capabilities because of old equipment that I hung on to. Now, I’m not going to be a person to start rushing out after the latest technology, but this truth did get me thinking about my prayer and spiritual life and how it has changed over the years.
When I was little, I prayed a bedtime prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep…” But then at some point my prayer life changed. A new prayer took center stage, The Lord’s Prayer. Then later on in life my prayer life again shifted as I learned to pray, not memorized prayers, but prayers that centered out of my being, my thoughts and relationship with God. Then later on my prayer life once again shifted as I learned breath prayers and praying the Psalms or other scriptures. And it still continues to evolve.
Prayer represents one of the main ways I, and many of us, stay connected with God. In my spiritual life, I didn’t stay with the simple bedtime prayer I remember from so long ago. Not that memorized prayers are bad. Not at all. I still use memorized or written prayers. But I also find that as I discover and use new types of prayer, it only enhances or deepens my connection with God. Oh, I could still pray “Now I lay me down to sleep…” but if that was the extent of my prayer or spiritual life, it would limit my connection with God.
Anyway, yesterday I installed a new modem at home, and we are now experiencing some newer capabilities in our internet connection. Maybe in somewhat of the same way, in our spiritual life or prayer life, sometimes we do need to set aside what is old, because really it is limiting our connection with God. Let’s keep on learning and growing, and even trying new things to see how doing so increases and deepens our capacity to connect with God. And certainly, that is something Jesus continually modeled for us, a deepening and growing connection with God. A good question to ask in this first month of the new year is this, “How will I upgrade or grow deeper in my connection with God this year?” Give it some thought…and get ready to encounter God in new ways in the coming year. Pastor Keith