by Blaine Beyer
Connection issues. Livestream interruptions. Audio fading in and out. The comment section of our feed began to fill up instantly. The Day of Pentecost, arguably one of the biggest Sundays of the year, felt ruined by technical difficulties. It’s extremely disheartening, especially when you have no control.
That’s about how my life feels right now. Out of control. My schedule is all over the place, my sleeping habits aren’t great, relationships are rocky, and I honestly don’t know how I’m getting anything accomplished.
My heart continues to be heavy with the state of the world. My mental, emotional, and spiritual health have all been pushed over the edge witnessing the injustice and chaos consuming our nation. It’s physically sickening to know that racism is still running rampant in 2020. It’s frustrating to know that my privilege as a white man has perpetuated the problem.
It also seems like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel in regards to the coronavirus. Over 100,000 people have died. That’s over 100,000 families waking up each day without their loved ones. Yet, many of us have lost seeing humanity beyond those numbers. Social distancing has taken a toll on all of us. It’s taken away our ability to physically see each other, but in some ways it’s also taken away the ability for us to recognize each other.
So, what’s the first thing they tell you to do when you encounter technical difficulties? Reboot the system.
I think we all need to reboot our system. There’s a sense of surrender in pulling the plug. It takes willingness to discover the glitches installed in our software. Sometimes we have to rewire ourselves into a new perspective in order to evolve into a better, updated version of ourselves.
Our current system is plagued with viruses. I don’t know what all it’s going to take to wipe them clean. What I do know is that God calls us to willingness. Willingness to learn. Willingness to change. Willingness to grow.
Psalm 139:23-24 says, "Search me oh God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
God knows how to sort out the technical difficulties. He designed the hardware. If we trust in him to reboot our system, we can see more clearly how to fix what’s wrong.
Reboot the system.