Out Our Way: Seeking the signal

Out our way cellphones outnumber landlines, but it was not always that way. In rural Montana cell towers were somewhat rare and getting a signal could be a real task. On my first time out on the Tiger Ridge with Charlie, I was glad to get away from town. Even as only a part-time pastor for a small congregation, it seemed the phone in the study was always ringing. It had always been that way in my 40 years of pastoring, so it was a relief to get away.

As Charlie and I saddled up and headed into the hills, the only sound was the wind, the cattle and the meadowlarks. I breathed a sigh of relief and remarked to Charlie how glad I was that no one could put a phone on a horse. Then Charlie’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his vest pocket and flipped it open, but could not make the connection. “We have to search for a signal,” he told me — and then went riding up one ridge after another looking for a spot where the faint signal could finally be found. That took some doing, but Charlie didn’t quit until he found it.

I have no recollection of what it was about, except it came from Big Mike, the boss for whose brand we rode, but I do recall the effort it took to finally get connected. “Funny,” I thought, “the phone rang to alert Charlie that Big Mike was there, but it was up to Charlie to seek out and find the connection.”

Over the years, I have read and heard many greater souls than I admit they, too, have trouble at times connecting with God. It seems we all share the problem of too few and too weak “spiritual cell towers” along the way. Notice I say all, for in reading the lives of the greatest spiritual giants, I find even they often could not get the signal. But where they differ from me and many others is that they were willing to seek it. They didn’t shrug off the lack of connection down in the valley and arroyos, but rode up the ridge to seek it out, and it often was not easy.

If you have ever ridden up a steep ridge, you know the bone jarring sensation of the horse bunching its hindquarters under you and then jumping forward. It is an uncomfortable experience and sometimes even dangerous. I rode up one ridge and when my horse stumbled and started to fall backwards over me, I had to jump aside. Fortunately, he recovered his footing — but I ended up rolling like a boulder down a steep hill, banging into rocks, cacti, brush and likely some “horse apples” along the way.

Yes, seeking the signal takes effort and stamina and perseverance. Despite what some TV self-proclaimed evangelists may claim, following Christ is not a stroll in the park. Faith has to grow and the process is hard and often trying. Like getting a cell tower signal in the Bear Paws, it may take some doing to get the connection. Like Charlie, you may have to climb some rough ground and keep going even when you don’t find the signal at the top of the first, second, third, etc. ridges. You just have to keep searching. But consider how Charlie knew there was a signal to be found. His phone rang! He knew Big Mike was there reaching out to him. We would never have left the comfortable riding of the valley floor for the hard climb over rocks and hard terrain if we didn’t know Mike was calling us.

We all have our doubts and struggles with the faith — disappointment and frustration that when we reach out to God we don’t seem to connect. It would be so much easier to just stay in the valley of self and be content to ride the easy trail. Yet we struggle up to the top of one ridge after another anyway. So often, we are disappointed and frustrated that we still have “no signal.” Why? Because, like Charlie and me, the Boss called us. We know he is calling us because even without the clear signal, the phone rang.

Now, there is in each of us a “spiritual cellphone” that God uses to call us. Granted, some have opted to shut the phone off while others simply ignore the ring, but there are always others who have heard the phone call and sought to ride up the ridge(s) to answer it. Somewhere we became aware the Boss was seeking us. Somehow, deep down, God called and we heard the ring. We can ignore it — or ride up the ridge and seek the signal. We ask, seek and knock ... and may have to do it over and over again to finally find the signal. And the next time may take just as long. The great souls of the faith testify that the process is often hard — but also that the Signal is there. That is why your “phone” rang the last time and will ring again in the future. God is calling, you just have to seek the signal.

Blessings,

Brother John

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John Bruington can be contacted at [email protected].