Lost In the Prairies.....Found by God

Today the worst catastrophe happened.  No it wasn't a tornado, hail storm, wild fire, or attack of wild animals.  It was worse than all of those.  My land line went down and I had no phone. GASP!!!  

I didn't know what to do.  I was planning on talking with the evil twin while I cleaned bathrooms.  How would the bathrooms get done?  What would I do?  I called my husband immediately and told him.  He was as aghast and horrified as I was.  (This is very sarcastic, as he was not).  I called our phone company and there were no problems in the area and no reason for the phone to be out.  NOOOOOOOOOO!  It was something else beyond my control and the soonest they could have someone come in would be Friday after lunch (if I was lucky).  I tentatively scheduled the service call and called my husband.  He said he would look into when he got home.  That was 5 hours of waiting.........

I called the evil twin on my cell, but it wasn't the same.  I have a Blackberry Torch.  I love my Blackberry.  I love my QWERTY keyboard, thank you very much iPhone lovers.  But you can't cradle your cell phone on your chin and shoulder the way you can a cordless phone.  It fits perfectly.  It becomes part of you (until you get a stiff neck).   My kids even know that the phone is part of me.  When they are little they run around with little fake phones cradled in their necks and gibber on the phone.  There is a part of me that gets very proud at that moment, until the reality sets in and realize I probably spend too much time on the phone.  

Any way.......I managed to survive the afternoon with no phone.  It is a miracle to be sure.  God gave me the strength to persevere through this time.  I also got a lot more accomplished than I ordinarily do - 4 loads of laundry, kitchen cleaned, bathroom cleaned, administrative stuff done, etc...  There were a few things I wanted to do that didn't get done, but they were out of my hands.  

When my hubby came home, he immediately began to set right the wrong.  He immediately realized the problem  (the wiring at the junction was shorted).  He went to the hardware store and found the parts he needed and within a short time (I was very patient, another gift) we had a dial tone.  I was excited.  It was like being given fresh air for the first time (Ok, an exaggeration, but it was exhilarating). 

Now I am sure that many of you are wondering why I was so upset over the phone and so excited about it being back in commission.  If you have been following the blog for a while or/and know me, you will know that my phone is my little "g" god.  If you haven't, you probably think I'm crazy and wonder why you are following me and why you are even reading this blog.  For those not in the know, my phone is a part of me.  It is my little idol that I worship on a daily basis and keep in contact with my friends (aka my little "g" gods).  I did a post regarding my relationship with the phone and friends a year ago.  

We all have idols in our lives.  Those things we lean on for alleged support, growth, rest, peace, etc...  However, there is one thing that can truly give us those things - JESUS.  He alone can support us.  

He alone can give us rest and peace.  

He gives us wisdom to grow and strengthen our relationship with him.

God requires our attention and obedience.  The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me."  (Deuteronomy 5:6-8).  When we cease to focus on God, we become distracted and we drift away.  We become focused and obsessed with things that are not of Him, but are of the world.  We learn to trust others and not Him.  We strive to please others and not please Him.  

As you can tell I have been struggling with this issue for a while.  I am consistently working on my relationship with God.  I also try to go to Him first.  It's a process and I'm growing.  Luckily for me and you there is grace.  He is a forgiving God.  He loves us just for us.  He wants us and will seek us.  He will find us and bring us back.  I love this.  When I am too hard on myself about the time I spend on the phone with friends and family, I am reminded of this.  I thank God for His love and grace.  It is easy to live in self condemnation.  It is easy to live in self loathing and pity.  It's where Satan wants us.  God wants more for us, we just need to be willing to accept it.  

Now if only there was a way to put him on speed dial.  ;)

Do you struggle with a little "g" god?  Have you accepted God's grace or do you live in self condemnation?  

Come link in with the other Java Junkies and share your randomness this week.