Looking Up

Last night consisted of a couple meltdowns. The first involved my laptop and the second one had more to do with my emotional frustration level. God has been speaking to me for a few months about the way I respond to computer issues. If mine goes haywire, I want it fixed RIGHT NOW. If my hubby’s machine is not working as it should (or he cannot figure out what to do to make it behave), I get antsy and irritated because I must stop what I’m doing and fix it. The Lord says this attitude must change.

So last night we are in a motel with slow Wi-Fi and I asked my laptop to do two things at the same time and wound up with a program freezing up. When I tried to fix it, I made the same ‘in a hurry’ mistake and (long story) lost not only the functionality of that program but lost my entire Office 365 — and could not reinstall it. I had to turn the PC off and go to bed. Sleep? Sort of.

No devotions in the morning, at least not able to key them into Word. But I had the Bible on my phone and went to Colossians where I left off yesterday (sort of) and read this passage:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1–4)

It’s funny how God can use something deeply profound to speak to me about my silliness. We are driving through the mountains and all day He is telling me to get my eyes off the things of earth, the mundane, that computer problem, and look up . . . up at the treetops, up at the Rocky Mountains, up even farther — to Him. Get my mind off the little issues and think about the largeness and magnificence of Almighty God.

It was a wonderful day. We drove about 6-7 hours through the most amazing of God’s creation and I worshiped Him. Would that have happened if my computer and I had not had that parting of ways? Maybe not. I might have enjoyed the scenery but not with the same attention to the One who created it. Instead of a mere lovely day, today was a day of great blessing in His presence.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I know that sometimes You look at me and chuckle. I can be such a dummy. The irritation that I always feel until the technology is fixed was not there today. You replaced it with grace. How nice of You! And tonight, most everything is back to normal, and as with all fresh downloads, my Office programs are updated and working even better than before. I learned a much-needed lesson; You are sovereign over all things, including technology. I can trust You and RELAX when these finicky computers try to ruin my life.

Today’s thankful list . . .

God’s grace to hide my silly short comings in Christ and bless me in unexpected ways.

Creation: magnificent mountains, tall, lush greenery, blue sky, rivers and streams, and wildflowers.

Decent traffic almost all day on wonderful roads.

Picnic at a roadside table made of stone.

Warm sun and cool breezes.

Joy that I knew would not go away even if this PC refused to be fixed.