Calling Old School

 

I finally got to visit a local fixture this weekend. My son was marching with his band in the Hootin and Hollarin Festival in Gainesville, MO. I pictured people dressed like hillbillies square dancing around. I wasn't too far off the mark. In honor of remembering tradition, there was a fair share of overalls and hoop skirts. As we waited for my son's band to march through the parade, I noticed something rare on the streets. It was a working pay phone. I didn't even think they still existed. It took me back to the days when you told people where you were going, gave babysitters the phone number of the restaurant where you were eating, and carried change in your pocket in case you needed to make a call. It was a simpler time. Remember operators? Collect calls? For those too young to remember, you would use a pay phone and dial 0 in order to get an operator. If you didn't have change, you would ask the operator to dial your number collect and hope the person picking up would be willing to pay for your call. If you were tricky, you would try to say your message in the section where they record your name. "It'sEyvetteI'm gonnabelateleavethedoorunlocked." When you called collect, you hoped that maybe someone would pick up. It got me thinking about prayer. Talking to God through prayer is very similar to that collect call. We can talk to God anytime because He paid the price for our call. It makes me grateful that He allows me to skip the operator and go straight to Him for my needs.