Pastor Marvin Arnpriester

Been having trouble with our home phone and Internet service from time to time. Most of the time, it has worked well with no complaints. Then, beginning late spring, the Internet service was slow at times.

Earlier this month, the phone service had a loud hum anytime there was a call. At times, the Internet was slow to almost non-existent. Called the serviceman who did something and pronounced it fixed. It was, for two days.

Then, Sunday, nothing was working. Went to a service center and complained. They sent out a repair supervisor who spent over three hours tracking everything out. He discovered a bad modem, which he replaced. That did not fix the problem. Finally, he checked the main connection box somewhere several miles away. He discovered the ground for the fuse link had never been attached. He attached it and, presto, all is well. Service is better than ever!

As I reflect on that experience, it strikes me that being grounded is not only necessary in electrical connections, but in our lives as well.

When one is not grounded, one is all over the place, because one is not secure in their person. They seem to be wishy-washy, always needing more than you can give them. You can’t pin them down for sure on much of anything, as they are all over the place because of their need to please others. Their need for attention seems overwhelming at times. As a result, they will fall for most anything in their desire to please, to be seen as important, to have the answer. They also seem to top every story or event from their experience that dominates the conversation. Not being grounded messes everything up.

When one is grounded in their faith with a sense of who they are, then they know who they are. You are aware there is a congruency about what they say and claim with how they live and interact with others. They had a keen sensitivity to others with a unique ability to listen well and respond appropriately. Being grounded means they don’t have, nor do they need to have, all the answers. They don’t need to fix others, as they accept and affirm others as they are. They seem to have a sense of serenity about them, which is both invitational and accepting.

Being grounded means they are set free to live life fully and richly, no matter the situation in which they find themselves.

I hope the ground wire on my phone and Internet service remains connected for trouble-free service.

I hope to become more and more grounded as a person of faith so I am living a congruent life.