I lost the signal, but not the Faith

Every morning I leave for work at 5:30 a.m.  The grueling nature of dark winter mornings can sometimes act as a sleep agent, while at other times it is perfectly peaceful and therapeutic.  After I finish my usual 7 – 4 shift at the office, I jump in the car and drive the seventy-two miles back to my driveway; collect the daily mail, run inside to a cozy house, happy wife, excited dog, and one little boy that can’t contain himself from screaming, “I want daddy to tackle me!”

The commute, which after nearly four years I have determined takes seventy-minutes to complete, sometimes leaves me wishing something closer to home would fall into my lap, while at other times has me thanking God for such solitude and peace.  I have free reign over the iPod, CD player and radio.  In the morning, Dr. Dobson and John Fuller of Focus on the Family often funnel their way through the speaker until I reach the half-way point, where I switch to a more local signal, while the ride home is left to the mood I’m in that day.  But it’s at that half-way point, when I’m listening to the radio and the signal gets weak, where I get impatient; it’s the same place in life that makes me edgy and thinking, “Why can’t I get a signal?”

Often times in life we find ourselves asking God this same question: why won’t you come in?  We desperately change channels, racing from one program to the next, seeking a good signal, one that will put us in a good mood or bring some form of materialistic salvation, but to no avail.  It’s as if we’re on our own for a bit and we don’t know what to do with ourselves.  After all the hours of listening to music and messages, we aren’t patient-enough to slow down and reflect for as little as one minute on anything.  These are the moments that we need to stop and think, “I’ll just be patient, and something will come my way soon.”

Just the other day I was driving home and really wanted to hear the ending of the song that was playing.  In an instant, my signal became so full of static I could barely hear anything.  I was so upset!  I started pushing seek time and time and again, and it only found a couple of stations, ones I didn’t want.  Just then, I stopped and though, “God never forgets where we are.  If we seek His signal, and we’re patient, eventually He’ll give us something we’re intended to hear; something meant specifically for us.”

Where are you in your commute in life?  Are you happy with station and praying you never lose it, or are you desperately seeking for something better?  The apostle Paul writes: I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  Philippians 4:11 (NIV)
Copyright © Holy Hoosier, 2009