While traveling, I’ve envied those industrious workers busily clicking away on their portable computers in airports or airplanes, in coffee shops, in moving cars or in corporate meetings. What did they know that I didn’t know about connecting to Internet service? I’d click the available button on my PC, searching for Wi-Fi connections and be overwhelmed by the choices. And when I needed a Wi-Fi connection, apart from the office and our home, there was never anyone I knew whom I could ask for help.
Finally, I realized that when my son had the problem of not being able to connect on the Internet, he used what he called his cell phone’s “hotspot.” While scrolling through the commands on my own mobile phone, I realized I too had a “hotspot.” As usual, I had no ideas how to access it so that I too could use it to be busy and productive in airports or on airplanes, in coffee shops, in moving cars or in corporate meetings.
So heading back from Atlanta to Chicago, with many hours of potential airport time ahead of me—we travel standby due to the generosity of a former airline employee and just hope our names will be called for one of the flights heading home—I nailed my son for help. Sometimes you just have to get someone’s attention. He activated my “hotspot,” entered the password into my computer, and despite only being able to get a standby seat after the first flight had departed, and the next flight departure was two hours overdue, having accessed my “hotspot,” I happily pounded away at my keyboard, feeling extraordinarily productive. My name was called as there were some seats on the second flight, and I worked all the way home, not caring that my monthly data allotment was being drained. It felt so good to get work done as I traveled.
In case you don’t know, mobile hotspots are portable devices or features on smartphones that provide wireless Internet access on multiple devices. Like USB modems from wireless carriers, mobile hotspots typically use mobile broadband service from cellular providers for 3G or 4G Internet access. Unlike those mobile USB sticks, though, mobile hotspots allow multiple devices to connect at the same time.
Often, technology affords amazing metaphors for spiritual realities. In some ways, and I hope I’m not disrespectful here, God is the divine “hotspot,” the One who enables me to be productive when I plug my work devices into his wireless access. Perhaps this “Prayer Appointed for the Week” from our book, The Divine Hours, captures some of this concept of God’s ever-present enabling:
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your servant who calls upon you, and grant that I may know and understand what things I ought to do and that I also may have the grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
There is a solution to my lack of productivity due to days interrupted by travel and consequent hours away from my desk. I just have to remember that it is always near, and then I have to access it:
…grant that I may know and understand what things I ought to do and that I also may have the grace and power faithfully to accomplish them…
Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.
Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.
Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.
For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. They are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.
Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
