i’m learning what to do when reception is intermittent.

I wake up as usual. Grab a hot cup of coffee and head to my favorite spot to savor some sweet morning time with God and his refreshing word. But recently it’s been different. It’s as if the reception between His words and my soul have been broken. No static. No garbled words.

God, we have a problem.

Remember the movie Apollo 13? When there seems to be problems between the launched astronauts and the ground station we hear, “Houston, we have a problem.” Oh how I feel my soul crying out, “God, we have a problem.”

Today, I feel like the little girl trying to get her daddy’s attention,

“Daddy, remember me. I’m here. Hello! Can you hear me? Why don’t you answer me?”

It’s a frustrating place.

While I know my God time is not “just about me” and more of coming to know HIM, there is a certain anxiousness that comes when you feel the reception is broken.

Reception goes both ways.

Reception like communication is a two-way street. While one of us might be able to hear clearly, the other might be saying, “Can you hear me now?” But during those frustrating moments, you miss the sweetness of really connecting in communication.

As my morning feels dry with not so much as a static signal, I’m here waiting. Listening intently in silence.

Oh how I’m waiting for clarity, a signal, a soothing voice, and words from my Friend. Any signs of a signal my heart craves.

2 things I’m learning to do when reception is broken.

I don’t think people would have walked away from the station in Apollo 13 when the reception left. Maybe they wanted to. We all get frustrated and feel like we’re wasting our time and we should just move on when communication is strained. This response happens in marriage, friendship, and with God when we feel like we are not connecting. But it’s contrary to what needs to happen.

I’m learning the truth of what we need to do:

1. Keep showing up.

If we walk away when the flow of communication seems nonexistent or unclear, then we’ll miss the moment when reception is returned. So each day we show up. Be in the presence of the one you seek to communicate with.

For me, I”ll keep showing up in my favorite spot with my warm cup of coffee. I’ll sit quietly and wait. I’ll become friends with silence.

2. Keep communicating.

What if the astronauts would have quit communicating — listening and talking? Attempts at being reconnected would have surely failed then. In our busy lives though our natural instincts are to clam up, pout, or stomp out of the room when communication doesn’t go our way or is missing.

That will not work in marriage, nor in friendship. And certainly will not work with God. When we let our frustrations get the best of us, we are the ones that miss out. [tweet that]

So with my warm cup of coffee in one hand and my Bible and reading material in the other, I’ll wait patiently in silence.

I’ll talk some. I’ll listen a lot.

I know God will reveal much if I keep listening — peacefully and quietly listening!