I had some computer issues this morning. Actually, I had some monitor issues. It all started a few weeks ago with my screen going blank for a second or two. It would pop back on so I figured it was just some “cyberspace glitch” or some program trying to download in the background or some other technical hiccup. No worries. But this morning when I started to put the finishing touches on my sermon for the week, the monitor screen went blank, it went totally black and it never popped back on. And then the monitor went into “sleep” mode. One of the last things that happened right before it did was provide a message which advised me to “check your connection.”

“Checking the connection” proved to be a lot harder than it sounds. Under my desk there are all kinds of wires – wires for the modem, the router, the computer, the keyboard, the monitor, the desk light, and the desk fan (yes, a desk fan…a man can work up a sweat trying to finish a sermon). Anyway, it seems like most of these wires are about the same size and they are all the same color, so I couldn’t tell what was what. As I looked under the desk, all I saw was clutter. So, I powered everything down and slowly began checking each cord. I ended up getting rid of some cords that I no longer need. As near as I can tell, some of that clutter was weighing down the delicate cord which connects my monitor to the computer. The clutter finally weighed it down enough that the connection was totally lost.

I got everything going again but I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes, we allow the clutter and the “busy-ness” of life to weigh down and compromise our connection to the Lord and our connections to others. It can start slowly at first, but it builds and builds until the connection is compromised to the point that we can no longer see the things we need to see or do the things we need to do. It is a good practice to de-clutter from time to time, to prioritize, organize, and get rid of things that only serve to weigh down and compromise the most important things in life – our connection to the Lord and our connection to others. May you have a blessed week and may you stay connected to the most important things of life.