When All Else Fails?

Psalm 51:10-12 NRSV: ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

I am not what you would call technologically savvy. Not by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, I am pretty much a one trick pony. I learned a long time ago that when technology fails me and I have clicked on settings as if I actually KNOW something about settings and I have Googled possible fixes as if I can actually understand the techno-speak contained within and looked around me desperately for a teenager to bail me out, there is a simple go-to that I really ought to try first. When all else fails, turn “it” off and try re-starting. This applies to a myriad of electronic gadgets that, when working, make our lives better—smart phone, computer, tablet, e-reader, cable modem—you name it.

For some reason, the simple act of turning something off, giving it a minute to catch its metaphorical electronic breath and turning it back on will quite often set your world back in balance. I have absolutely no idea why this works and I ask you to respect my blissful ignorance and not stop me next time you see me at church and try to explain it to me. I will pretend to be interested and nod appreciatively, but really, my eyes are glazing over and I am planning what I will fix for dinner and hoping you will think what you are saying is the most interesting and enlightening thing I have ever heard. Believe me, it is not. I don’t need to know why it works, I just like knowing that it usually does.

I am pretty sure human beings work much the same way. Sometimes we get out of balance. This can happen for so many different reasons, but the outcome is much the same. We get cranky or annoyed or frustrated or lethargic or apathetic or antagonistic or ornery or unreasonable or just downright disagreeable. We know other people don’t want to be around us because we don’t much like being around ourselves either. When that happens to me, I usually need a restart of some kind.

What does a human restart look like? Well, I think it can look different for each person and may differ according to what your deep unmet need is at any time. For instance, maybe we need sleep. If we can somehow really disconnect and get a good night’s sleep, everything can look a little better in the morning. It is important during those times when the world looks messy and you are feeling really disconnected from reasonable thinking not to do your important decision making and perhaps postpone conversations attempting to bring resolution. A good night’s sleep can bring so much perspective.

Maybe what is needed is exercise strenuous enough to make your brain be quiet! God may send some endorphins your way with the exercise that will help your perspective. God created us to thrive on some endorphins! I am pretty sure they make our inner self shine when it starts to get a little dull.

Sometimes (often, actually most of the time) my best restart happens with scripture and prayer and worship. That devotional you were too cranky to read this morning? It may have had just the word you need to extract all the energy out of your bad mood and replace it with some God-energy. So, go back and pick it up and see what was waiting for you there, because you know what? God knows why you are cranky even when you don’t. And there may well have been a God-answer waiting for you all along. God KNOWS stuff, even stuff about us that we don’t know ourselves, because we are God’s finest creation.

Isn’t it awesome that we don’t have to understand why things like sleep and exercise and prayer and scripture and worship seem to set things back in balance for us and help us face the world with a better attitude? God has given us this ability to listen to what we need, if we will just stop and tune in and follow our better inclinations. We did not come with an instruction manual. Instead, God gave us the Holy Spirit.

Create…renew…restore…sustain…all God’s good work that God will do in our lives if we will stop long enough to give God the opportunity! And for goodness sake, don’t wait until “all else fails.”

Oh, God, help us to slow down and listen as you tell us what we need. When everything is off-kilter, give us ears to hear and hearts to listen when the Holy Spirit tells us to stop, empty ourselves and receive your very best for us. In the restorative name of Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Grace to You,
Laura