- 3 Phone Calls to Dell,
- $40.00 in "support fees,"
- 6 installation disks,
- over a week,
- and several headaches later...
I had manually re-installed the entire XP operating system.
This week, I reflected on the events leading up to the crash... mainly that I had been neglecting my Sunday School duties for about 3-4 weeks (I do the class weekly email-newsletter), although I was still spending a TON of time on my computer working on some new digital scrapbooking items for sale. I had also neglected this blog - even though I knew, when I started it, that I felt some pull from God to create it in the first place.
And I remembered this quote from our Pastor that has always stuck with me:
"God allows hardship to enter our lives
to warn us we are on the wrong path."
At first I wondered if God was trying to tell me that a (financially-rewarding?!) hobby of selling digital scrapbooking elements was NOT in my future. But, all of my files were safely backed-up and ready for use after the re-installation. I think now He was trying to tell me to get my priorities in-line - that my job of providing the announcements, praises, and prayers of my classmates was more important than the tasks I had set above it. That contributing to this Blog... even if I had no readers (yet?!) was also more important.
Consider this verse from Malachi 1:7 (The Message Version):
"When you say, 'The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,' that's defiling. ..."
Take a look at the things, activities, or people in your own life that you are placing ahead of God, and committ to re-prioritizing that list into one that has God at the head rather than at the caboose. When you honor God, you will be blessed.
:) Mags
