All at once

Last Sunday, my monitor started to go on the fritz.  At first, I thought it was my desktop computer.  But, we soon realized that it was the monitor.  My computer had been having issues for a couple of months and so I had jumped to that conclusion.  As my investigated, it became clear that we needed to replace if not all, of my computer.  We decided all.

Getting and using a new computer can be quite a daunting endeavor!  Moving pictures, files, bookmarks...  Thankfully, the transferring began and proceeded smoothly except that when we tried to transfer my photos, we learned they were too big.  Over half of the memory on my computer was going to be consumed by my pictures.  So, I spent two days deleting photos and paring down what needed to be copied over.  Thankfully, I got it cut down by half by the time I began copying them!

My computer issues are a little more complicated because I'm changing over from PC to Mac.  Somehow, I'm surprised at how okay I am with all of this.  I'm thankful for the patience the Lord has given me.  When I couldn't access a file my daughter needed yesterday, I accepted it.  I found a way around it, but it didn't print perfectly.  I had to handwrite a few things on the form before I copied it.  (so old fashioned, right?!?)

I remember years ago when a man I knew explained to me that he felt technology would save humanity.  My face responded with a look of disbelief.

When people don't believe in God, they look for something to believe in--whether it is themselves, technology, the goodness of mankind, or even that their family is what they live for.  We all need meaning in our lives.  It's one of the ways God made us.  There's a hole in our hearts.  But, it's made for God.  Not for a computer or the affirmation we can find if we look on social media.

Sometimes computers can either become a link of control or a source that gives us a false sense of control.  I have noticed that anytime we hold onto something tightly, we react badly to any divergence or bump in the road.  Computers can be the source of much frustration when we expect them perfectly.  Of course, the world tells us that they are supposed to be perfect.  Ironically, I think everyone knows that computers are flawed because they break.  They get viruses, worms, and encounter programming glitches.

Yesterday, my kids had some friends over and spent the whole afternoon outside.  I was talking with my friend, their mom, and posed a question to her.  I asked if she was concerned about the growth in a particular religion.  She wisely redirected the question and helped me see that my question was misdirected.  Instead, she explained her concern was for people who don't believe in God at all, and for people who don't believe that Jesus died for their sins.  She was concerned--for the lost sheep.