78. Party Line

Raise your hand if you know what a party line is.

Yep, I see those hands from a certain age group. And my guess is you grew up in a rural area, am I right?

I did not grow up with a party line, but my country cousins did. It was surprising to me that they could actually listen in on other people’s private conversations, hearing interchanges that were not meant for their ears. I wondered if the knowledge they gained affected their opinions about their neighbors? How could it not?

I was reading threads on the Next Door app this morning, which was once again testing my patience towards my neighbors. For example, a photo of a strange bug attracted responses like, “Time to burn the house down”. A comment about poor Door Dash service unleashed a tirade of shaming responses.

I thought about how neighborhood apps are like the old party lines. Those conversations aren’t meant for me. They certainly don’t need my participation. The problem is that they present themselves and the brain clutter happens. I don’t need these distractions. I need to hang up the phone. Or in this case, stay out of the rabbit hole.

Speaking of rabbit holes, this is happening in my yard.

Back to the subject. There is a conversation that is meant for all ears to hear. It is the interchange between us and our Creator. He provides The Way, through his Son Jesus Christ, for us to have eternal fellowship with Him and each other. Listen to the gospel message and respond in faith. It’s the most important conversation you will ever have with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

The next block accompanies the account of Jesus’ crucifixion. My progress on the project coincides here with Holy Week.

This Friday is Good Friday. Jesus did the most amazing thing for you and for me. He gave His life, perfectly lived, over to sin and death so that we could have life free from sin and death. Please don’t waste it.