MAKING ROOM

It’s been ten days since my 200-year old laptop decided to retire and die on the same day!

Wednesday night arriving from work, I turned it on and it went on safe mode. I restarted it and it gave my dark apartment a nice blue glow! Another restart, another blue screen! I decided to watch the late night news instead hoping that the inanimate object would somehow decide to function well the next day.

Thursday morning, blue screen! One great fear was losing all the files and the tons of hardwork that went along with those! I had once lost a computer to a thief in a mall and the magnitude of the feeling of loss is the same as when my laptop screen turned blue.

That was more than a week ago. I’m glad the Lord has replaced the laptop that died. It’s smaller but more powerful! It’s amazing how the Lord provided for it! As an added bonus, someone was able to retrieve my very important files– music, sermons, Bible study lessons, papers, lessons on worship and Church History, photos, etc. And oh, the laptop that died resurrected! I decided to give it to another pastor friend who badly needed a laptop of his own.

Someone suggested that I keep both the new computer as well as the old. But I felt that God created a vacant room for a blessing when the old one crashed because He knew I’ve always wanted (and needed) one with more disk space and better memory. When the old laptop was fixed, I knew God wanted to use it to fill a space He has made in the life of another.

A broader life-lesson from the experience is:

Anything that helps make space in our lives- to live in love, to be used for provision, to create peace and to spread justice creates the opportunity to catch a glimpse of God’s realm. When you’re answering God’s call in an authentic and thoughtful way, whether it’s through a commitment of money or time or attention or love or service, it doesn’t have the effect of spreading you too thin. Rather, it draws you back toward your center of gravity, Christ.