Today I called to have our cable service ended as we've switched to another service. What a simple task, you say! Not for me.
As I imagined the phone call, I felt a knot develop in my stomach. I could hear the customer service rep telling me what a fool I was to switch and that I'd be sorry. I just knew I was going to have to justify my decision and I dreaded it. I tried to cancel service via the impersonal website, but that was a no-go.
Do you ever feel like you're afraid to cut ties to something you know isn't right for you? Do you worry about what people will say? Have you thought about changing churches, jobs, or associations only to let anxiety hold you back?
Since this summer I have been determined to get out my scissors and confront my fears. So I called the cable company. I believe God cares about every detail of our lives, including the cable we're attached to. I also believe that God has a sense of humor. The customer service rep asked me why I was ending service and went on to ask which company I had switched to. I held my breath waiting for the condemnation of my choice. The rep said something much worse: "I hope you get everything you deserve." I was quite shocked! But then he explained, "I don't wish that on you or anyone. I don't ever get what I really deserve, considering everything I've done wrong."
Turns out my customer service rep was a pastor with Dunlop Disease. He said he's eaten so much his stomach has done lopped over his belt. LOL! After we laughed and chatted a bit, he said, "In a few decades, I'll see you in your new home."
Indeed, by the time we get to heaven, we will have cut off every tie, every cable that connects us here. And we need have no fear of it, because cable or no cable, we can remain in the service of our loving Savior.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
