A friend of mine recently observed that he went to work one day, started up his computer, and discovered that he couldn’t retrieve any E-Mail messages that had accumulated on the server over the weekend. The Information Technology specialist was contacted and eventually a technician came to my friend’s office After checking all of the connections and cable lines on the computer, the technician told my friend
“Let me check upstairs on the wiring in the closet. “
A half an hour later, the technician returned, and he announced to my friend
“It was a loose wire! “
Once the wire was reconnected properly, Presto !, the computer worked just fine and all of the E-Mail messages were retrieved.
It’s amazing how one little item or missing element can cause an entire piece of machinery to stop its operation. A loose screw can cause problems holding together a light fixture, a loose cable or wire can impair the signal connection for a video or audio system. A loose wire can mean the difference between disconnection and connection.
Like electronic equipment, there is the phenomena where people desire to be connected to one another. For some individuals there is not an inclination to want to “go it alone “, to be an “island “, or to be a “nowhere man or nowhere woman “ ( Lennon And McCartney ).
People tend to seek out affiliation, they want community, they want to be heard and they want to be validated.
The “loose wire “phenomena can pop up in all kinds of settings i.e. in your family, at work, church, synagogue, mosque, temple.
Feeling disconnected from others can be unnerving. There can be reactions of disappointment, hurt, anger, not being valued, to name a few.
So, what can you do when you encounter a “loose wire “ ? First, get someone who can help you- a friend, mentor, clergy, therapist, etc. Someone who can help you repair the disconnect and allow you to feel connected to others again.
May this sacred season of Lent be a time where disconnections can be repaired, where conflicts with others can be resolved, and where hurt and disappointment can be healed through the medicine of friendship, companionship and love.
May all of our connections be well grounded.
May it be so.