Fresh Start

About a week ago I was on my way to a meeting and needed to check some details of the appointment. Fortunately I had my laptop with me so I cracked it open so I could check the notes that I had made earlier. A weird message popped up and it asked me if I wanted to start the recovery process. Feeling like I wasn't ready for such a big step, I quickly closed my computer and went to the appointment. It should be no surprise that when I got home the problem did not go away and I was confronted with the same dilemma of picking which type of recovery I wanted the system to perform. I picked option three. Much later when I went to the Geek Squad at Best Buy the technician behind the counter was kind enough to tell me that I should have picked the first option. That information really would have been helpful to me THE DAY BEFORE!!! It would have been helpful because instead of "recovering" my information on my computer, it actually wiped my computer's memory CLEAN! No, I hadn't backed up all of the files but some, I emphasize SOME, were on an external hard drive. However, a large amount of information had been completely lost and I was later told that it was "unrecoverable".

I wish I could say that at that point I quoted Romans 8:28 "God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose." but instead, I FREAKED! I had spent all summer working on various projects, collecting quotes from various people, taking notes on books I've read and all of the details of jobs I was interviewing for were on the computer (not the hard drive). For about a day I stressed over the lost information and postulating over what could be done to recover it. I blamed the computer, the company that created the computer, congress, my kids who probably touched the computer and Miley Cyrus. Sorry for that last one, I just needed a reason. So I pouted, sulked and waxed eloquent to my wife Jenn about the intricacies of warning messages and how this company could improve its service to their consumer base.

The very next day, something weird happened. It was like the day before I had purged myself of my dependence on all of the information that was deleted. After talking to the helpful man at the Geek Squad I was completely and totally calm. I was free! I no longer had to worry about how much money I needed to spend to make the problem go away or where I had stored a particular document. There was nothing to recover! A bizarre sense of satisfaction came over me and I actually felt "lighter" for lack of a better word. I had a chance at a fresh start for my computer. I could organize the files a little more coherently, I could collect better quotes and I could install better programs on my computer.

Its pretty relieving to get a fresh start isn't it? Its nice to get a "do over". If there is a really important relationship in your life and someone has forgiven you for the hurt you have caused in their life..."do over". If you have royally screwed up at work and your boss gives you another chance at a big project..."do over". Maybe you have just moved to a new house and you have another chance at being good neighbors..."do over". God gives us second chances every day. In Lamentations 3:22-24 the prophet Jeremiah writes:

"The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."

This verse occurs in a book, as the name might indicate, of pure lament and sorrow. Jeremiah has been faithful to the Lord to preach His message but hasn't seen fruit from his dedication and persecution. Yet, he is able to write this verse and say that God's mercy and love is new every morning. If that is true for him, it is definitely true for us. As many have said before me, God is a God of second chances. Every morning that you wake up is a new day and a day that you can set things in the right direction, despite what turn they took the day before. God is relentless in His love for you and allows you to have a fresh start. What do you need to let go of so that God can wipe the slate clean for you? What do you need to ask Him forgiveness for so that you can experience His mercy? Go to Him in prayer and ask and then know that you can be free from the guilt and darkness that seizes you. Pray for power to be obedient to Him and serve Him and others the way that He wants you to as a result of that freedom.