Words by Scott McCullar | Image by Blakeney Clouse
In the early to mid-nineties, my friend had a device that I couldn’t believe was real. In fact, I had to see it to believe it. He described it to me, but I thought he was off his rocker. Calmly and confidently, he offered to meet me and show me his new device: a bag phone.
That’s right—bag phone.
It sounded like something from a science fiction movie. When I was growing up, telephones were either attached to the wall or sat on a table with a cord running to the wall. You could move around while you talked, but only as far as the stretchy cord allowed. We didn’t have to call Sarah to patch us through like on The Andy Griffith Show, but we did have rotary dials and party lines.
A bag phone was on a whole other level. It was a telephone that looked like the one in a home, but you could take it outside. In fact, you could even place it in your vehicle and make a call from there! What in the world!
My friend told me he could make a call from his car. NO WAY. The catch was, however, that we had to drive up to a high point where there were no trees, and since the price per minute was so high, we had to call a toll-free number. So, there we were, on top of a hill, in his vehicle, when we dialed a 1-800 number where you could place an order for mattresses or something. The phone rang and a lady actually answered. My mouth dropped open in shock.
“How can I help you?” she asked sweetly.
We yelled, “YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS! WE ARE CALLING YOU FROM A BAG PHONE IN A CAR ON TOP OF A HILL!”
She said we were lying and crazy and hung up on us. We could have been on the moon and not been more amazed than we were at that moment.
Fast-forward to today. Most of us have a smartphone, and we might be reading this column on it right now! We can do almost anything on this device! I mean, calling someone is the least we can accomplish with our modern-day phones! We can pay bills, order tickets, play games, watch movies, video chat, and listen to music, among a million other activities. It’s amazing and far more spectacular than a bag phone, for sure.
But have you ever had your Wi-Fi go down? It’s frustrating. Have you ever had a movie or TV show start buffering? It’s aggravating. Have you ever tried to finish something with a very low battery and didn’t have a charging cord? It’s infuriating. Apparently, these devices are not as amazing as we once believed.
USA Today recently published an article revealing that many people are returning to flip phones because they are burned out on their smart ones. People want to break away from social media, mindless scrolling, and zombie-like connections to their devices.
The reason I am bringing this up is to remind us that the world and the things of the world will never, ever satisfy us. We thought a bag phone was a remarkable invention but many of us are now getting bored and irritated with space shuttle-like technology! As amazing as modern tech and other advances are, they can never bring true contentment.
The Bible tells us that there is only one pathway to satisfaction in our lives. We read in Psalm 16:11 that God alone “will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Whatever this world produces or promotes will never fill you up with joy and peace. You will always want something more. That is, until you meet Him.
When you meet Jesus, He can and will give you fulfillment on a level that is hard to describe. It’s the contentedness that gives someone a smile amongst suffering, worship amongst weariness, and grace in the grind of life. There is joy that comes from knowing and following the Lord that cannot be found in nor from any other source. When you encounter Jesus, you will realize He is truly all you need.
In John 4, Jesus told a Samaritan woman that the water she drew up from a well would always leave her thirsty for more. “But, whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” – John 4:14
The good news is you don’t need a bag phone or a smartphone to reach Jesus today. You can reach Him right now no matter where you are. He has been waiting for you to call on Him in prayer and He is ready to answer. WL
