July 7, 2006

The parable of the cell phone – or how to love what you get.

Instead of “she loves me. . . She loves me not . . .”, Wayne’s mantra was “why am I so unlucky? . . . or is this really a blessing? . . .!” Wayne wasn’t a mental case. He was just trying to make sense of his life. We all have a need to know whether life is good or bad.
Wayne’s quandary started when his loving, faithful wife gently told him, “I just put your cell phone through the wash.”

“You did what? Didn’t you check my pockets? What else got cleaned?” (husbands, please note – none of these are very helpful questions in this type of situation)

The cell phone went in the oven to dry. All Wayne could think about were the hours it would take to re-enter all the names and numbers. Then he remembered Tim. Tim just purchased a new, thinner phone with bluetooth capabilities. A new phone would be pretty nice.

So leaving the phone in the oven, Wayne drove to his nearest cell phone carrier’s retail establishment. The cellular assortment was outstanding. There, with all the other possibilities, was the same phone his friend possessed – and only $150 with rebate.

It took only a few minutes to make a decision and inform the sales clerk. But then the clerk informed Wayne that the computer system was down and she wouldn’t be able to activate his phone. “But if you leave your phone number, we’ll call you back when it’s up and running and you’re phone will be ready to pick up.”

Wayne didn’t just want a new phone. He wanted one right then. One wet phone in the oven back home seemed to be worth about as much as an inactivated phone at the store – plus it cost $150 less. So with just a little muttering and disappointment Wayne returned home, took the phone out of the oven and placed it out in the sun instead.

Three days passed. Wayne heard testimony from another friend about a phone that survived a wash and rinse. Hope rose. Hope also wished for a new phone. What a dilemma. “I’m so unlucky . . . I’m so blessed . . .”

How does the story end? When Wayne turned on his phone - it worked. His family rejoiced, believing that the $150 would be spent on them. Wayne didn’t feel bad about the wash or the downed computer system. Sometimes we just don’t know what to pray for.

But after another two days, Wayne got too frustrated with the fluctuating volume. Evidently the water did something after all. So if you ask to see his new phone, he’ll show you. Another friend told him about a service which will transfer all his contact information for a small fee. So now he has another set of blessings for which to be thankful.

The moral? Some say to ‘live in the moment.’ But Wayne found that rather confusing since his moments kept changing. We do have Someone who both lives in our moments without changing. Now there’s a reality worth experiencing.

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” Romans 8:26

Be at peace,
Pastor Steve