I think the train of life has taken me to my destination and the sign at the station reads, “Nerdsville.”
I realized the other day that our house contains more computers than might be found in some small Third-World countries. Our living room often looks like a computer garden, with laptops blooming on nearly every tabletop. There are also three desktop computers scattered hither and yon throughout the house, reserved for tasks that require solitude or serious computer muscle.
It’s fairly easy to justify all this technology. My husband makes his living as a computer whiz and both of our sons are computer science majors in college. And at many colleges these days, a laptop computer has replaced good old No. 2 pencils as the most-required school supply.
As for me, I was dragged kicking and screaming into the computer age and I refuse to know any more about the contraptions than I absolutely have to know to do the things I need to do. But alas, some of my responsibilities genuinely require a computer, so I have learned to co-exist with the beast. It is, at best, a love/hate relationship. When my computer works predictably and smoothly, I love it; when it inexplicably turns on me and sends the fruits of my labor into that mysterious black hole where all lost work goes, I am sorely tempted to bash it to pieces with a baseball bat.
I often describe myself as “technically retarded,” and no one at my house ever argues the point.
It used to be that in order for each of us to do what we all wanted to do on our computers, we had to be holed up in different regions of the house, tethered by the cords that linked us to the internet. But through the wonders of technology, we each now have laptop computers with wireless internet cards, so we are free to roam from room to room and still remain on-line.
It makes me think about a much more important “on-line connection” I have – the one to God. I was reminded of that the other morning while I was spending some time in quiet reflection, Bible reading and prayer. I find that there’s nothing like a shot of coffee and some time with my Creator to get my perspective adjusted for the day.
Unfortunately, my dog, Winston, doesn’t grasp the concept, “Do not disturb,” and he is most likely to be in his “I want in/ I want out” mode in the mornings. He goes out first thing to take care of business and to chase the squirrels from his kingdom, but then he wants back in to eat … then he wants back out to play … then back in to rest … and on and on it sometimes goes. Never mind that I am trying to commune with the Creator of the universe — Winston just stares in through the French doors and barks and whines until I respond to him.
It’s hard to stay focused in prayer when you’re bobbing up and down like a buoy in a hurricane, but I try. And I’m getting better at it because I realize that my connection to God is wireless, just like my computer. That’s why the Bible can instruct us to “pray without ceasing.” That doesn’t mean we have to enter a monastery – it simply means we can remain “on-line” with God all the time. We don’t have to be in church, or sitting in our favorite chair in blissful solitude, in order to connect with God.
No, in fact we can be in a football stadium surrounded by 80,000 screaming fans, or in our office with co-workers around us, or driving in rush hour traffic, or getting up and down to let an exasperating dog in and out … and in.
Prayer is such a mystery, and yet so simple. It’s all about staying connected to God and realizing He’s always on-line, just waiting for us to respond, any time, any place. No plugs, no cords, no technology required — just a humble, open, believing heart.