Lessons from my MacBook

"to proclaim freedom for the captives 

and to release the prisoners from darkness"

Isaiah 61:1

I learned a lesson today.  And it's a lesson the Apple of my Eye has tried to teach me many times.   But it has to do with the computer, and it always takes me several repetitions to learn something on the computer. He's very tech-savvy, my Hubby.  Once, when my laptop was acting up, and he'd exhausted all his ideas on what the problem might be, we took it to the Apple Store at the mall.  Now, you know what they call the guys who help people with their computers?  Geniuses.  Don't you love that?  Such shameless chutzpah.  Make an appointment with a Genius at the Genius Bar, that's what you gotta do.

So we went in and talked to the Genius, and he was stumped.  He couldn't figure out what was causing the problem, either.  Asked me a lot of questions about when it acted up, were there any patterns to it, what programs I might have been in, was it on battery or plugged in at the time, etc.  But the genius didn't know.  Said we should take it home, back everything up, and bring it back for the Mac equivalent of a lube job and oil change.  So we left.  But the Apple of my Eye had been sitting there listening to me answer Mr Genius' questions, and all of a sudden there was a lightbulb over his head.   We got home, and he pushed a few buttons, changed a preference or two, programmed a new.... program.  {In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you here that I have absolutely no idea what he did.  Which is probably patently obvious to you.}  And the problem was solved.  So, I told you all that so you'd understand that my Hubby is even more tech-savvy than the Apple Genius.  What's more genius than genius?

Me?  Not so much.  So when I have computer issues (which are generally me, not the computer) he patiently walks me through it.

But he was at work today, and my computer was running painfully slowly.  So I figured I had to re-start.  Which I hate.  Cuz I often have several screens open at once.  So to shut down, I have to bookmark all those pages, or save them or whatever.  Close up iTunes, close up iPhoto (any wonder my computer runs slowly?)  I get everything closed up, and then decide that as long as I'm cleaning things up, I should empty the Trash, too.  Or is it the iTrash?  When you delete something, you put it in the little trashcan at the bottom of the screen, but still the system holds on to it, in case you change your mind, until you actually select "Empty Trash". So I clicked on that.

And then I proceeded to sit and watch my computer take several minutes to go through that process.

Oh.  Guess it's been awhile since I did that.

And then, on a hunch, I didn't even bother doing a re-start.  I just started opening up my regular programs, and I couldn't believe how fast it was going.  It was all that trash that was slowing down my system.  Stuff I thought I'd gotten rid of, but really hadn't.  Out of sight, out of mind, though it was still affecting the efficiency of my computer.

I started to wonder if maybe we sometimes need to empty the trash that's clogging up our lives.   Mentally, or spiritually, what am I still dragging around with me?

Sometimes I think we haven't totally let go of the guilt of past sins.  God has forgiven, but we haven't forgotten.  Let it go.

We also spend time worrying about things that are not our business ~ they're His.  Do not worry about tomorrow, for today has troubles enough of its own.  Anxious about the future?  Discard your worries.

How about whatever God is working on in us?  Each of us has issues that God needs to work on, to make us more like Him.  He'll guide us there, in our prayer and Bible-reading time, if we let Him.  And if we're not too concerned with what we'd like to change about ourselves.  Empty yourself of you.

Let Him free you from what's making you drag.  The 25th chapter of Leviticus tells us about the Year of Jubilee, when the land was to be rested, debts were to be forgiven, and unredeemed slaves were to be released.  The whole nation of Israel essentially started fresh.  Wouldn't you love that feeling?  Well, you know as well as I do we're not getting that forgiveness from our creditors.  But we can get it from Him.

~ "It is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you" ~

Leviticus 25:12