My Cell Phone Doesn't Work

Those were the first words my father-in-law said when we walked in the door. It had stopped working, and he wanted to know why. That was all the proof he needed that cell phones were not everything they claimed to be. He never really wanted one anyway, but we insisted. We thought he needed it in the truck, up at the farm, out in the yard. It was portable and a great thing to have if something happened and he needed help. He didn’t think he needed it. It was inconceivable to him that he would need it.

Besides, he did not understand how it worked. He had a really hard time realizing that if he wanted to talk to me on my cell, he did not have to call from his cell. He could use a land line. Unlimited minutes through our shared plan must be too good to be true. So he used his phone as little as possible and was as brief as possible. He still cannot retrieve any messages he gets, nor does he want to.

But now all of his suspicions and fears were proved correct. The phone quit working. And he made it clear that he had plugged it in so that was not the problem. It was just dead. It had quit working. So my wife went over, got his phone, and … turned it on. Somehow he had turned it off.

I was giving my wife a hard time about all of this until she reminded me that up until a few months ago I had very similar feelings about texting. I did not understand it, did not want to use it, and saw absolutely no benefit in it. I didn’t even want to try it. To be honest, I think my father-in-law and I both were scared of something we did not understand and did not think we needed – until we tried it. Now I think texting is a wonderful way to communicate and he uses his cell phone all the time. And that is why he was in crisis when it did not work.

It made me think about how some people think about Christianity. They do not think they need it, they do not understand how it works, and it seems too good to be true. But when they try it out, they find out they had no idea what they were missing. Their life makes sense. They find peace, joy, purpose, and hope. Until something goes wrong. They see a spiritual leader struggle with sin, or they get their first taste of persecution, or the trials of life are still there. And they suddenly think all of their previous fears and concerns are now validated. What is needed at that time is a Christian to come alongside and show how to get connected again to Jesus. Someone who understands and can help.

So if you are one of those that tried the Jesus way but gave up because you thought it would not work for you, I would love to help you connect to someone who would be honored to help you take another look. Some of us have been where you are. We remember and we can help. Write me at steve@hopeforlife.org or join the blog discussion at www.hopeforlife.org.