Techno-Geek
Do you have an impression about yourself? Do you have a way you view yourself or an assumption you make about yourself? I have this impression of myself as a techno-geek. I can usually figure gadgets out without the instructions (ok, I refuse to read the instructions, which just means I’m male), and I usually like the latest techno-gadgets coming out on the market. I don’t have to have all of them, but I like reading about what they can do and think about how I can use them.
Not only do I think of myself as a techno-geek, but I enjoy being one.
So, I have this vacation planned last week and I’m thinking about all my readers (yes, both of you). I had a decision to make last Monday – do I take my laptop and hope for a connection in Upper Michigan or do I use a neat feature in Wordpress to schedule the publishing of daily posts in my absence? Knowing where I was going was hard to get even a mobile connection and my time for writing would be bare minimum, I figured I would use the scheduling feature of Wordpress.
Did you get them? No, of course not. Foiled again by technology! (and I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those kids and that dog!)
I remember a time when things like this would just frustrate me. If I couldn’t get the remote for the television to work (yes, I rebuilt it, but I know my modifications would make the signal stronger… instead, the garage door opens and closes every time I change channels) or if I couldn’t get my computer hooked up to my HD television (that’s right, Microsoft Word in all the high definition glory!), I would just freak. I remember a time when I was splicing some speaker wires together in my truck and couldn’t get the sound adjusted… I could barely drive the truck without getting upset. There was another time when I made a telephone headset out of an old stereo headset and PC mic… yeah, I looked like a techno-geek then, but during the week of making my fine-tuning adjustments, I was a consumed with aggravation and completely annoyed at my inability to get it right the first time.
Can you imagine my sheer and utter irritation when I returned from vacation to find out none of the scheduled posts were published? Surprisingly, I was relatively calm about the whole thing.
Now, please do not think this lack of frustration reflects apathy toward my readers (both of you) or a feeling of indifference toward these articles. I look forward to writing an article each weekday as a way of encouraging or inspiring others in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I realize reading this blog may not be a highlight for your day and the world will continue to turn without a daily post, but I take each article seriously enough that when something as simple as a scheduling calendar ruins my planned posts… well, it would normally cause me to freak.
So, what was the difference?
My only explanation is found in Romans 12:2.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I believe it is God’s will for me to write these posts each day, as there is no way I would be able to come up with new material each day, nor would I receive the positive responses or comments from my readers (yes, both of you, thank you). If the posts were not published as scheduled, I have to refer to the verse above and look for God’s will, His good, pleasing, and perfect will, and trust that if He wanted those articles published, you would have already read them.
There is also that whole renewing of the mind thing going on here, which is a bit harder to explain in the space of this article. I will point out that if I was conforming to the pattern of the world, the annoyance would have set in as soon as I realized the articles did not get published. There is some form of a transformation of my mind, attitude, and reactions happening here in my relationship with God.
For this, I boast in the Lord, not in myself… I borrowed that one from Paul. He wrote several times about not boasting in himself, but in his weakness to show how the Lord was working in his life, such as in 2 Corinthians 11:30-31:
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.
My reactions to things I planned or worked on… my irritations, my frustrations, my agitations… these are all my weakness. To say I remained calm is merely boasting in what the Lord is doing.
What is your weakness? Do you have an area in your life where you get frustrated, irritated, or you just want to choke someone standing too close to you (because you know they really deserve it!!!)? Are you holding on to that weakness? Have you deceived yourself into thinking that weakness is strength or a way of coping with the situation? From experience, let me tell you there is no better way of coping with the frustration than receiving a calmness from the Lord in the midst of your struggle.
It’s pretty cool.
Let me encourage you to have a prayer conversation with the Lord and ask Him to reveal in your life those areas where you are getting frustrated or irritated – if you are anything like me, you may not even realize it is happening. Ask Him to reveal these areas to you and to give you the understanding and strength to accept His will in those circumstances.
Contact me if you want to discuss this issue or if you need help with your prayer.
And, by the way, you should get those previously scheduled articles in August of 3010…
Glenn Sasscer
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