Suddenly and without warning, there was no internet. It was a Tuesday afternoon right before lunch. My colleagues and I peered out from our offices. "Hey, my internet isn’t working." "Same here." "Me, too."
After identifying that the problem was widespread, I headed down the hallway and opened our "technology closet" to turn things off and back on. We’ve been instructed by the computer experts that this is the best first step (and it works a surprisingly large number of times).
When the internet still wasn’t in operation and the phones weren’t either, we realized the problem was likely impacting more than our office alone. I called our internet provider. Sure enough, many people and businesses had lost their web service and the cause of the problem was still being identified.
We learned later that day that the origin of the widespread internet disruption was a cut to the fiber optic network line. Underground utility construction somewhere in Rochester had led to a interruption in service to thousands of customers.
By the end of the day, the internet was back. The broken line was repaired, and internet and phone service resumed.
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The experience got me thinking about connections — both literal and metaphorical. While a fiber optic line is vulnerable to damage and disruption, not all connections can be severed so suddenly. Our access to the presence of God, for example, isn’t ever out of the realm of possibility. God is everywhere and all the time in each moment and encounter. We are never cut off from the nearness of God.
Nothing can cut our connection to our Creator because it’s permanent. As we all know from our lived experiences, there are times we feel connected to God. There are also occasions upon which we don’t sense it all. What’s valuable to remember is that regardless of whether we feel it or not, the tie always exists.Through this divine presence, we are connected to God, to each other, and to the world around us. Forever.
Please pause and reflect: what helps you to experience an awareness of your divine connectedness? Is it quiet time in your garden? Long conversations with your partner? Worship? Perhaps it is through reading Scripture. If that’s the case, here are a few biblical verses that highlight God’s permanent nearness and presence.
Joshua 1:9 — Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Matthew 28:20 — I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Romans 8:38-39 — For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You are valuable and worthy and connected to something beyond yourself. You are permanently networked to God, and it’s a cord that can’t be severed no matter how much construction is happening around you.
Pay attention to what nurtures your tie to the divine and make those routines a priority. Cultivate holy connectedness and celebrate the nearness of our ever-compassionate Creator.
