Yesterday morning was spent at the Apple Store with my daughter whose phone was being repaired. It started about a week or so ago when it was dropped resulting in a few hairline cracks on the screen. Still usable, I instructed her that she was going to have to make due as iPhone screen replacements were not in the budget.

That all changed the other night when a classmate grabbed her phone and it fell onto the gym floor. Result? Bigger cracks, rainbow colors on the screen, Facetime self-launching and a myriad of other activities unbeknownst to even Steve Jobs. While the phone would ring if it was called, it was basically rendered useless. My daughter was beside herself. Her phone is her lifeline and this event was akin to shutting off life support.

I called Apple Tech Support and scheduled the first appointment I could get – mid-afternoon. After a mostly sleepless night, my panicked daughter suggested that we go to the store as soon as it opened on the off-chance we could slide in a bit earlier. I agreed.

We arrived at a somewhat crowded store, but got to see a rep relatively quickly. He noted that despite the funky activities of the phone, it was likely only the screen that would need to be replaced. I signed the obligatory online paperwork noting that we accepted the risk that all of her data could be lost since we had no backup. (Yeah, yeah I know.)

With an hour to kill and a hungry teenager, we decided to grab a bite to eat. As my daughter munched on chicken fingers and fries, she told me that she had prayed that God would fix her phone and that her information would remain intact. She then proceeded to tell me that she would accompany me to church so she could thank Him if all went well.

While I was elated to hear that my daughter was praying and wanted to go to Mass with me, I decided to use this time to teach what I thought would be a valuable lesson.

I told to her that I was happy she was praying and even happier that she planned to give thanks to God. However, I went on to explain that God isn’t just for emergencies, to be called upon only when you need something and then forgotten the rest of the time. I asked her how she’d feel if her friends only called her when they wanted something from her. She said this sometimes happens.

“Don’t you feel used?” She agreed. “How do you think God feels when you only talk to Him when you need something?” The teenager light bulb went on.

You’ve heard the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes” meaning everyone believes in God when they are in a bind. Prayers of desperation rise up to the heavens at the sound of a bad medical report or family crisis. We’ve all done it. I have been guilty of it too. I can handle the day-to-day stuff, no need to bother God about that. But hit me with a layoff or financial crisis? Yikes, you can hear the Hail Mary’s from here to the moon and back!

Does God Love You?

It was only a few years ago that I realized I needed to stop the 9-11 calls to God and start talking to Him a bit more often. Situations in my life had gotten to the point where I recognized that I really wasn’t doing the day-to-day stuff all that well and I needed help. Then and only then, was I able to see the ‘baby miracles’ in my life. The parking spots that opened up when I was late, the customer service rep who gave me a break on my monthly credit card bills, car repairs that didn’t break the bank and so many more things.

As I began to see the fruit of my daily chats, I gained confidence that my prayers were not just being heard, but they were being answered. God cared about all the little things in my life – not just the big things. And honestly, I began to handle the emergencies with just a bit more confidence, a bit more calmness than I had in the past knowing that God had my back through it all.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still freak out when unexpected things happen but now my meltdowns are shorter. I don’t spend weeks in fits of confusion or worry. I’m down to days. I pray that days will turn to minutes but I’m a ways off for that.

In case you were wondering, my daughter’s phone was fully restored – like new. She was ecstatic and we left the mall with “Thank you God” messages uttered repeatedly. That’s how God works. He fixes things completely.

I hope that my daughter’s broken phone taught her a valuable lesson. I pray she learns it at the ripe old age of 15 rather than, ahem, 50-something. For her to walk through her life talking to and listening for God every single day? That she would know that He genuinely cares for and loves her unconditionally through broken phones and broken hearts? Wouldn’t that be the real miracle?

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)

Jen’s Gem: I want to encourage you to disconnect your God hotline and call Him every day. He’ll pick up no matter what, but just like ET, He’ll be glad you phoned home.