It has been a week of mishaps for me. My favorite necklace broke and could not be repaired. It was a necklace that I wore pretty much every day of the week.
I pray about everything, so I asked God to direct me if there was a necklace out there to replace the one that broke and then I hit all the thrift stores on Asbury Avenue. I found a necklace that was actually better than the one I broke, so I bought it and gave God my grateful thanks.
The next mishap was with my computer. Because I write this column for the Herald, an intact computer is a necessity. I use a desktop computer because it is so convenient and comfortable for me. In our home, we have a lovely room with a window facing the garden and a beautiful oak desk that my husband, Neil, made for me in his woodshop – what more could anyone want for writing inspiration?
This week, we had a thunderstorm pass through one morning. As I turned on the computer and it was uploading its programs, the lights went out. When I, again, turned on the computer, all my Microsoft programs were missing. My data and files were in place but I had no way to access them. You can imagine I was a bit panicked wondering if I could figure out the reinstallation process of those programs myself.
Of course, there was a lot more prayer. I asked God to help me in several ways. I asked for wisdom in sorting through the various how-to websites to see if any were helpful for a novice. I also asked God to actually restore the programs if it was His will to do so. God did not respond positively to either of those prayer requests.
I did not feel confident that I could reinstall the programs safely and that left me wondering what the next move would be. Would I need to dismantle the entire computer and take it into one of the local shops? To be honest, like most of us, my computer contains private information regarding finances, banking, family letters, etc. I was truly uncomfortable with the thought of leaving it with a stranger. So I, again, prayed to God for guidance.
As an answer to that prayer, God reminded Neil and then Neil reminded me that one of our church members is a computer whiz, which is his full-time job. Possibly he would help us out on his day off.
We contacted him and on Saturday he was able to assist us, working remotely. As I watched the back and forth actions of this pro on my screen, I was trying to learn something new and I was also putting up more prayers to God to give him insight, as I could see there was some difficulty in trying to remove the remnants of the programs that had vanished.
Our friend spent over an hour repairing our computer but in the end, my computer was transformed back to its operational peak.
When I ask God to help me, He always shows me His grace. The answer is usually not what I would have guessed but it is always the best answer to further God’s plan in my life.
God gave us the idea to ask our friend for help. Our friend was gifted by God with these wonderful skills, which he has perfected. In the big picture – God fixed my computer. He set all the parts in place, so that it would be repaired at the right time by the right person.
What a wonderful feeling to realize just how servant-hearted our Christian brother was in sharing with us his God-given talents and on his day off, too. This was not a convenient gift for him to give us but he still gave it.
We heard a great sermon Sunday, which touched on this. The pastor told of how Jesus was on a mission to get to Jerusalem where He knew He was going to die but along the way, people kept interrupting His journey. There was the Centurion with the sick daughter, then there was a lady who had been ill most of her life. One person after the other, in turn, became Jesus’ immediate mission rather than the preplanned trip to Jerusalem.
That sermon made me consider how we also may be so intent to get to our destination that we miss our God-appointed moments along the way. I so appreciated that our friend did not think we were bothering him but helped us when we asked.
What a lovely reminder that we are in the family of God, we are here to do His will, and often we find that our job is helping others along our journey.
ED. NOTE: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com.
