Unable to Connect

Remember life before the internet? I know a few people who’ve chosen not to have a personal computer, or refuse to get a Facebook account, or pay their bills online. They function quite well. But I’m so dependent on the internet that I wonder: could I go back?

Back to the days I relied on the postal mail to bring news from my loved ones.  Back to waiting for the right time of day to telephone someone long distance to keep the cost down.

Turning on my computer each morning is habitual as brushing my teeth. I rely on the internet to read the news, govern my finances and communicate with loved ones. Unless of course, these words appear on my computer screen: “Sorry, you’re unable to connect to the internet.”

My inability to Google throws me into a quandary until I resolve the problem.

Too often, my perceived need to connect with the world competes with my desire to commune with God. I intend to read my Bible and pray, but first I want to check my email. Check my family’s Facebook status. Check world events. Check my bank account… The list woos me into submission until I’m lost in cyberspace. And there’s no space left for relationship with God.

Recently, I succumbed to my flesh and turned on the laptop before I opened my Bible. The words “unable to connect” appeared. But instead of hitting reset on my cable box, conviction sent me to the Bible to renew my mind.

Long before I knew computer terms like Microsoft Word or Windows, I opened my soul to the Lord; the engineer who designed this body and complex universe. I don’t want to return to the days when the triune God wasn’t paramount in my life.

My world changed the day I chose relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. My sins were forgiven. As I meditate on scripture and seek His counsel, I’m better able to walk in the present. My personal concerns and what ifs about people, finances, health, and world events shrink in light of a Sovereign God who knows the future, and will never forsake me.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” That promise in James 4:8 is guaranteed. And contrary to my internet service, God will never say, “Sorry, you’re unable to connect.”

Author: Karen Foster

I'd like to say I've changed, but after decades of living, I still have the same four passions. My relationship with Jesus, spending time with family, attending live theater, and writing devotions & first-person stories about a loving, faithful God who reveals Himself in our every day circumstances. View all posts by Karen Foster