Re-start or RE-SET! by Kim Olachea
How many times has your computer or phone gotten sluggish or began acting strangely or refused to function properly? When this happens, oftentimes I just shut it down and re-start the device!
When that doesn’t help, I call the tech, with great fear and trepidation! I’ve worked with computers for a long time and when I call the tech, I’ve tried about everything possible to get my system working properly. Usually at this point, the tech will tell me that only way to fix the problem is to “Re-set the system” to factory settings.
This is pretty extreme! I don’t like it at all and do everything else possible to avoid this solution!
I know that if I re-set the system, I will lose all the programs that have been installed. I may still be able to save the documents (what I have learned and gathered in my experience, but I can’t use this information until all of the programs are re-installed correctly – and that takes a LOT of time! It is a royal pain, but sometimes necessary for the device to accomplish what it was meant to do. Only by re-setting the system will I be able to get rid of whatever was causing the device not to work. I know it is NOT going to be fun! It is going to take a LOT of time…BUT it is sometimes the only way to FIX what is broken.
We are kind of like a sluggish computer at certain times in our lives. Sometimes, our system just gets overloaded with junk, with stuff that uses up our resources, but doesn’t help us become who we are meant to be. We may be juggling lots of different things in our lives. Work may be stressful. Ministry may be all-consuming. Family problems may be weighing us down. We start making mistakes, failing to function properly due to fatigue, illness, or stress – or all three.
Sometimes this means we need to shut down, rest, and re-start. This process alone can be frustrating. We think we have so much to do that we don’t have time to rest. But we also know that if we don’t stop and take a nap or take a day off or a vacation, we are going to crash. So we stop for a break, knowing we must rest if we are to continue to handle our day to day responsibilities over the long haul.
Stopping and re-starting isn’t easy. Sometimes, we must force ourselves to take the time to do what is necessary to re-juvenate, re-fresh, and re-start.
BUT sometimes, rest is not enough. There are times when we need a “system re-set.” We need to get rid of all the “stuff” that is dragging us down, making us sluggish, rendering us ineffective, stifling our energy, killing our joy, and creating constant anxiety. We need a fresh start. We need a system re-set.
We need to step back and carefully examine our lives. What do we REALLY need to continue doing to be who we are meant to be? What do we need to get rid of that is hindering us from doing what we were meant to do? It is beyond just a stopping and re-starting. It means starting with a clean slate, with nothing on our plates, recognizing what is NOT necessary, choosing NOT to re-install that program and determining to remove it from in our lives.
Several years ago, I became incapacitated for a couple of months with herniated discs. It was a forced re-boot by my loving heavenly Father who knew best what I needed. It was one of the most physically painful times that I ever endured in my life. (I always say that having a baby is a Sunday school picnic compared to that experience!) At the same time, it was one of the most spiritually impactful times of my life, as the Lord comforted and sustained me. God helped me to see His plan to re-boot my system and change everything that I was doing.
Sometimes, we need to re-boot our whole system to factory settings. We need to let God help us choose what HE wants installed or re-installed in our lives and we need to be sensitive to Him to help us get rid of unnecessary “programs” that consume our time and energy…it might even be things we like or want to keep, but things we know are taking away from what is MOST important.
I’m kind-of there…again…
Lately, life always seems too busy, too stressful, and too overwhelming. I feel like there is no time for the important things – like people – like meeting new neighbors, like taking a meal to someone who needs it, or like stopping to smell the flowers and enjoying God’s creation. I’ve heard enough comments from friends and family members the past few months such as, “I don’t know how you do all that you do,” to recognize that these are NOT compliments! These kinds of statements are gentle warnings from those who know me, and see the reality of my life better than I do at this point. It is very possible that the Lord is using these people who love me to give me a nudge from Him that it’s time to stop and re-set my system.
It won’t be the first time in my life. Besides the “forced re-start” a few years ago, there have been other times over the years. I now know how to recognize the symptoms…like “forgetting” to do important things…such as picking a child up from camp or leaving one at church and not realizing they are not in the car until I get home…or missing a doctor appointment even though I remembered it was scheduled only hours before…or forgetting to pay a bill that I know is coming due….or being unable to sleep…or unexplained pain or weakness…or having a hard time focusing on anything…or lacking a desire for God’s Word.
When these things begin happening on a regular basis, it is time to think about time and priorities. My time. My priorities. My 52 weeks each year. My 7 days each week. My 24 hours a day. My sixty minutes of each hour.
In Colossians 4:5, the apostle Paul instructs the church at Colosse:
BE WISE….making the most of every opportunity!
This month we will consider some questions we need to ask ourselves regarding time and priorities, wisdom, and making the most of every opportunity! Stay tuned as we consider how to re-set our system to God’s factory settings.