Let’s be clear about one thing at the top of this post. I, at this stage of my life, am not very tech savvy. Oh, I used to be – back when I was 50+ years younger! I used to enjoy being on the cutting edge of technology whether it was recording cassette tapes from the radio when I was in my teens, or figuring out great ways to place stereo speakers in my bedroom that produced incredible sound.
Then came the period of micro computers and for a while I thought that I could get very interested in that line of work. But the more I got into it, the more I realized that there was so much to learn and technology was moving so quickly that I would be frustrated by my own lack of knowledge. There was even a period of time that I decided to go without a personal computer because I didn’t think I would ever really be successful trying to learn how to program…
So throughout my life, I have been reluctant to change things too quickly when it comes to technology. Yes, I have a personal computer, an iPad, iPhone and several other pieces of technology. Conversely, I am not very good with computers and even as TV’s have become more complicated, I almost hate to touch anything for fear of screwing something up.
So, that brings us to this weekend… For the past eight years, we have been fortunate to have our cable company supply us with a recording DVR and boxes for various TV sets throughout our home. Back in the day, we couldn’t use all our sets because the systems had a maximum of 6 set top boxes and a main recording device in our home. Janet, who I consider to be a professional TV watcher, has mastered it all. That includes Netflix, Prime Audio, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and a host of other subscription services that we have in addition to our cable.
We also have internet with our provider and through the years, our costs have continued to escalate. In my mind, I set a limit of $300 per month for all of it – yes, I understand that it is a very expensive cost for our home. But, as I said, Janet loves having the variety and, frankly, it saves me from having to learn to master any of the technology issues that I am not very good with – she handles all that.
So yesterday morning, when our cable bill came, I flipped out when I saw that the prices have gone up $30 per month with a promise of another $40 per month (minimum) effective July 15th… In all honesty, I hate paying the bill but how do we get it down? Almost $90 per month is rental for equipment. Something inside me just snapped!
I braced myself and called the cable company – A job I hate… The kind agent went over every line of our bill and suggested that we “cut the cord” and get rid of cable – opting instead for streaming our programming over the internet. I about went into denial with all the options and, with Janet’s approval, we finally decided to jump in and join the ranks of Americans who now just get programming over the internet. We have more televisions than the average family (12 or 13) – some of them already use Roku to stream cable.
After an eternity on the phone, during which time they had to make massive changes to our account, upgrade the channel technology, increase our modem speed to accommodate the increased band width we would need (they threw that in for us), we were ready to launch the new system. I had to go through the house, resetting things and starting over with each television set. Then, something didn’t work right and that created another delay…
Four hours and thirty six minutes later, and I am not kidding, we were converted to the new way of doing things. Did I tell you how much I hate dealing with technology? I even had to recharge my phone while I was on the call. After it was all said and done, I had to collect all the hardware and return it to the local cable office. That was the easiest part of the whole thing…
We also bought more streaming devices, installed them on other TV’s and finally late last night, we were good to go… finally! I have to admit that I was proud of the accomplishment. As we were leaving the cable store, the salesperson congratulated us on “cutting the cord…” It is a phrase that I have heard from time to time, but I never thought we would get there… But here we are…and we have reduced our cable bill by $150 per month by going to streaming.
While this is the way of the future for most things, it is important that we never choose to “cut the cord” that binds us to God. Too many people have done that, perhaps without considering the consequences of that action. But let me affirm that nothing can separate us from the love of God – even if we push ourselves away. God is always there for us.
Our verse for tonight reflects that truth. The apostle Paul, author of the book of Romans tells us, in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
My encouragement this evening is that while we want to be separated from evil, we should always cling to Jesus and God the Father. My prayer is that we will never “cut the cord” that eternally binds us to God. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…