It happens to all of us. Our computer gets very sluggish. Things that worked yesterday aren’t working today. It’s frustrating, until we remember a simple trick. “Shut it down & restart it.” Voila! Like magic, things reorganize and begin to function again as they should.
So goes our lives as well. We’re feeling scattered, frazzled. It’s time to Shut Down & Restart.
I recently heard a commentator say when a company pays millions for a thirty-second ad in a Super Bowl game, what they are buying is … our attention!!
Our attention has become a commodity!
Just as we have a limited amount of money, time, and energy to spend, so we have a limited amount of attention. But messages, tweets, alerts, constantly bombard, all vying for our attention.
In an effort to be a good citizen, to think carefully before speaking, to try to influence with the salt and light of God’s love and truth – I feel responsible to stay engaged with current events.
It’s just that ‘current events’ these days have gotten very divisive, even nasty. There seems to be no space for reasonable back and forth discussion. If we’re not careful, we can start feeling superior, and judgmental of others who differ from us.
The effect among Christians can be that worshipping side by side Sunday morning, serving in a ministry together – can feel a little tenuous at times.
I think this threat to our unity as fellow-Christians is real! I often have to remind myself of the need for God’s perspective.
Lord, teach me your ways, that I may walk in your truth.
Sometimes I want to say with Pilate, “What is truth anyway?!!”
But God knows the whole picture. Only He sees motivations. He sees into secret places. And He knows what’s coming down the road. There is something that is God’s truth, and we only can see it partially.
Yet the psalmist dared to pray,
Lord, teach me your ways, that I may walk in your truth.” And he continued, “Grant me purity my heart, that I may honour You.” (Psalm 86:11)
Those prayers are so relevant these days to my heart.
And so, I need to SHUT DOWN AND RESTART – my plans, my priorities, my emotions.
As we sit at Jesus’ feet in quietness and meditation, He says to us, “I’ve told you (all these things) so you may have peace IN ME. Here on earth, you’ll have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
We are called to be salt and light. We need to not hide away. But we need to know that God sees the bigger picture, and trust Him.
His promise to give Wisdom when we ask, is still current for us every day!
There’s work to be done. Distractions are constant. So let’s go forth, with “the praises of God in our mouths, and a sharp sword in our hands.” (Psalm 149:6)
Perhaps for you, as for me, it’s time to “Shut down, and Restart”, in the secret place with our Lord.
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