My first foray into computers was mainframes. Back in the early ’70s, they were my only path forward. This was long before modern technology we take for granted, moving around the world with the speed of the internet. Then, many trays of keypunch cards stored programs, data, and processing routines. Here, I learned first about “Ditto” – a duplicator program. Run it with data, and it reproduced the data in a second file, whether card, tape, or disk.
When a computer broke, it took a Computer Engineer (CE) from IBM, the mainframe of choice, at most of my jobs. These engineers were masterful at opening big blue, hooking up diagnostic machines, and using a host of tools to determine what was wrong. Most time, it was an easy diagnosis and a quick repair. Sometimes it took many shifts of employees coming and going until the CE handled the problem.
A friend was ready to toss her used-up laptop, so I decided to tear it down and see if anything was wrong. I used no diagnostic tools other than the number of times I put together and tore apart computers of my past – let’s eyeball this! This morning, I piled up the pieces and took the picture above. Nothing was obviously wrong with anything I found – no spilled soda, computer bug (go ahead, click the link and read about computer bugs), no unhooked wires, or broken connection. Without a power cord to go on, my result is simply a mess!
My Blog Purpose
I began my blog 11 years ago. Most did not understand my “theme of thought.”
Everything begins with a very simple thought,
grows into a magnificent premise,
and returns to a very simple thought.
My most common category of thought was “Algorithms for Life.” It seemed that if I could dissect a thought and encapsulate it into an algorithm, that would help my understanding. Prepared, I could then take the next step of life.
Well, as I grew in my sphere of writing out loud, I began to realize all I was trying to do was to “Make sense of life, one post at a time.” Most of these thoughts were categorized as “Morning Thoughts.” That seemed to be where I found my freshest thinking skills.
All in all, I’m happy to dissect a situation, analyze the results, and attempt to make sense of it in a way that helps all of us. Not everyone will agree with my conclusion or process. Why? I come at most of life through a Spiritual Lens. My Worldview is not liberal nor conservative, at least not how politics like to describe it. No. My thoughts come from the Word of God, some spiritual insight, and decades of experiences that help me identify a view that will be Godly. Righteous. Holy. God-Centric.
Making Sense of a Mess
King David seemed to have a handle on finding God in a retrospective view. Although he was described in the New Testament as a man “after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22), he often paid hefty penalties for doing wrong things. There’s much written about him, but he writes a lot about himself and his search for God through all his mistakes.
Here’s one scripture where he goes to God after modifying his approach with Abimelech to save himself from a crisis with King Saul. (1 Samuel 21:13)
A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
(Psalms 34:1-4 KJV)
He exited the problem and much later recited his story through the Psalm of Praise and Focus. Continual praise. Boasting about the Lord. Be humble. Focus on magnifying the Lord. Exalt his name! When you see him, he hears and responds!
Regardless of the situation, which we can spend a great amount of time diagnosing, the solution was to focus properly upon God. God delivers!
Our Own Messes
One last thought. We make some of the biggest messes in life we’ve ever seen. Unless we have an attitude that says, “But God…!” What I mess up, he restores and makes it right! That doesn’t give me an excuse to keep messing up; rather, it helps me grow with each action to handle my future better. It’s a building block time.
Never take the particular events and God’s responses out of context and apply them to your situation. The principle behind the events and actions, however, apply to the way God chooses to think about the “…called, chosen and faithful…” (Revelation 17:14)
We love to quote the first of this scripture as a salve on our wounded life, but there’s more to it than the first few words. Please don’t take it out of context. Just remember, God has thoughts toward us.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity;
I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,
says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
(Jeremiah 29:11-14 NKJV)
Our messes are plenty. God’s mercy is available. His grace, love, and hope are eternal, and he gave us His Peace! He’s that father of the prodigal waiting for us to come to our senses, choose to return, and is prepared to find us as we come home. It’s time for a feast!