*

You may not be a geek, but you are here,

so at the very least you are a little bit computer-ish.

You probably have an email account,

a Facebook account,

maybe a Twitter account.  

Maybe you are Linked-In or you Spotify. 

Whatever the case may be. 

You know your settings. 

It took a while to get things just the way you like them,

and then, BAM!

Totally out of nowhere,

one of these accounts decides to update,

or even upgrade to a different way of doing things or worse yet,

a whole new  program.

New phone.   New operating system.   New program.   New gadgets.

Pretty new packages with lot of work packed inside.

Ugh.

 

Resetting takes time.

It takes brain cells.

It a lot of  mental energy.

How did you handle the news?

Did you get angry and pout?

Did you throw things or complain?

Or did you receive the updates as a matter of course?

The latter choice will mean accepting the change.

It will probably mean rearranging your schedule to give you time to familiarize yourself with the new,

and reset everything from the start.

If you are just a bit computerish,

this may cause great hardship.

For a geek or a techi,

it would be a nuisance perhaps,

but you’re used to it,

so you can get it done pretty quick.

 

After far too many techi type updates and upgrades,

there is something I’ve noticed about them all.

It is there regardless if my trouble is long term,

or if it is of the quick fix type.

I have noticed the same thing with updates that are physical,

emotional and intellectual.

It is there whether it is my computer that is broken or if it is my heart.

 

Most recently,

my own updates came in both the techi and the emotional realm.

This then of course leaked all the way into the spiritual side of things.

These simultaneous happenings threatened to take me out.

 

Folks when this happens to you,

you must seat yourself securely in your chair and follow all the prompts until you reach the end.

Some of those prompts are simple yes – no, click – don’t click.

With some on the other hand,

you have to wait for the action to take place,

then actually shut down and re-start for the update to take place.

Start – stop. Start – stop. Start – stop.

 

My recent updates,

led to some very expansive and not to mention expensive upgrades.

Totally new equipment and programming required.

Here I am on the other side (Thank you God!)

I’d like to share some of the BIG stuff I learned.

Perhaps it can help you too!

There is no “set” way to handle such things,

but I believe that God’s principles work no matter where you use them.

 

*Get a comfy seat – Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and

                                               seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

*Settle in – Isaiah 32:18 My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, 

                               in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

*Be thankful – Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer,

being watchful and thankful.

*Rest in Him – Psalm 62:5 Find rest, O my soul,

                   in God alone;  my hope comes from him

ASK.

Matthew 7:8
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;

and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

I had to begin in each case asking God just what it was I was supposed to learn from each circumstance.

When you learn what you are supposed to,

you can advance to the next thing.

 

WAIT.

Psalm 38:15
I wait for you, O LORD;  you will answer, O Lord my God.

I always pray for the quickly to happen,

but God does not always answer that way.

The waiting, the crying,

the praying,

the seeking,

the finding,

the trusting,

all take time.

Sometimes I learn more slowly than other times.

 

DO OVERS.

Proverbs 24:16 (CJB)For though he falls seven times, he will get up again;

If I didn’t get it quite right, I get to do it over.

The fact of the matter is that I don’t want to move on one minute sooner than He thinks I’m ready.

I  really can’t skip any steps and expect everything to operate smoothly.

 

TRUST.

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you,  for you,

LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

This is where the trusting comes in

Knowing He will move me ahead when I am ready,

if I’m really trusting Him,

and not trying to do it myself,

I won’t have to do it over again.

 

ATTITUDE.

Ephesians 4:23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

I have to repeatedly check my attitude.

It can change from moment to moment.

Am I grumpy?

Am I complaining?

Am I doing all I can to change that if I am?

I have to ask God to give me an attitude of thankfulness for the opportunity

to learn some really hard things with the Holy Spirit at my side.

STOP STRIVING

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding;

I don’t know about these things God, but you do.

How about I let you handle this.

Again and still.

When each new pop-up and prompt comes,

I get to choose how I will respond.

Will I follow the prompts?

My prayer should always be “I’m asking your way of dealing handling this God.

I can exhaust myself in the striving.

YOU, however, are inexhaustible.”

When are faithful to adhere to His promptings,

we can be assured of a good outcome.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Follow those prompts!  Every one!

His way is may not be the fastest,

but it is always the best.

 

What promptings are you receiving from God in your circumstance?

Are you reading His manual the Bible?

Are your eyes and ears open to his instruction?

If you answer yes to these questions and follow through,

then you can expect great things.

They don’t always come in packages we recognize,

but we can be sure they will be worth the effort.

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You are fearfully and wonderfully made

*

Sometimes we get to choose what updates to take,

And which ones to walk  away from.

Before the beginning of this year,

I was offered an update.

It wasn’t a hard sell.

 No one pushed or pulled.

There was no bait and switch.

The opportunity was an amazing one,

and I was given all the time needed to make the right decision.

Several years of training were already under my belt for this very thing.

So slowly I began to observe this group.

I began to spend time with its members to see if it would indeed be a good fit.

I also used this time to tie up some loose ends so as to be able to fully commit to the tasks at hand.

The authorization to update was given.

Now some time has passed and it is time to begin installation.

New files are being copied.

The tasks are tasks I am accustomed to,

but as much as they are the same,

they are also different.

Click to continue?

Yes.

I believe so.

But where to begin.

Where all things begin.

At the beginning.

The excitement I felt at the beginning when I was asked,

was exhilarating.

Then the clicking began for all the updates,

Making all the settings so they would work well.

A little while into my observation of the members,

I began to realize how much I could so work with them.

Their hearts match mine.

Even so,

they are much more mature in their handling of the program.

A maturity that comes with the doing.

The learning process will be no doubt be spread out over much time.

Something else came to me after spending time observing these members.

That is the knowledge that this thing is so much bigger than what I had

imagined some months ago when it was only a thought.

Knowing things in my head,

reading things on paper,

and then actually beginning to DO what I said I would,

are two totally different issues.

Miles apart.

Who authorized these updates anyway?

Then came the knowing.

Way down in my knower.

This is right.

This is what I was created for.

This is what I’ve been trained for.

This what will give glory to the God who created me.

Fearfully and wonderfully He did.

Click to continue?

You bet.

http://wp.me/p1Deai-kT

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You are fearfully and wonderfully made.