Press One for More Options
Dreams of a peaceful, quiet, relaxing vacation were quickly shattered by the reality of a sick child. Fortunately, it wasn’t debilitating or contagious but it did require an encounter with the health care system that was enough to stretch the most patient person’s nerves. Because we’re vacationing out-of-state, the process was a little more cumbersome than usual. It began with a call to the health insurance company’s nursing staff who decided that my daughter indeed needed to be seen by a health care provider. So, we were off to the nearest urgent care center. They graciously saw her, treated her for swimmer’s ear, and collected our $175.00 payment because they are not part of my insurance company’s network. We then purchased the liquid gold ear drops for a mere $120.00, but were thankful that we were on the quick road to recovery. But then, I had to make the dreaded call back to the insurance company to provide the details of the visit as instructed by the nurse I’d spoken to earlier. Simple enough… right? After 40 minutes I’m sweating and mildly irritated… OK, maybe I’m an inch from infuriated. I’d been redirected, reconnected, disconnected, on hold, and have heard and pressed a bazillion options on the prerecorded menu. I’ve even dialed a wrong number TWICE and was greeted by the chipper lady at the Lucky Lands Campgrounds… how lucky! I’ll spare you the rehash of all forty minutes of frustration. Trust me when I say it was painful. (I even asked my husband to send up some quick and desperate intercessory prayers, to which he happily obliged!)
Finally finished with the phone calls, at least for now, I sighed in relief. I then thanked God that He doesn’t make us go to such lengths and rituals to reach Him. We don’t have to get preauthorization to seek Him. We don’t get put on hold when we call out to Him. We don’t get transferred or worse yet, disconnected. We have a direct line to God whenever we need Him… and He even encourages us to come to Him. He wants our call! Because of His great love for us, He sacrificed His son Jesus so we could be restored and connected to Him at all times. He is “hassle free” at its finest. No gimmicks, tricks, or special coupon codes needed. He is the real deal. I encourage you to get comfy in a quiet place, grab a Bible and bask in His presence. You won’t be disappointed. You’ll come to know Him as Father and Friend and realize you already have a direct line – no need to “press one for more options”.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
I love reading your blog posts. Keep up the good stuff.
Thanks Andy! I’m sure you could give me some great material.