Unshackled Echo ~ February 4, 2019 ~ Crashing Processors

I guess that last night's sermon was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, only in this case the camel is my computer's processor. The external backup that Leah and I use recently decided to quit on us. I need to take it to a computer repair shop and ask if they can recover the data that we can no longer get to. I pray that they can. I also need to purchase a new backup. Since I have not gotten around to doing that yet, each new piece of data stored on this computer has increased its burden and cut into its memory reserves. I've been in the red of remaining memory for about a week now, and it appears that saving last night's sermon just crossed the line between what can and what can not be handled.

I'm not out of memory yet.  In fact, I have 40.8 GB free, which is more than several computers had totally new as recently as 15 years ago. But with almost 460 GB of storage space used, this computer has had about all it can take. It took me over 40 minutes this morning to open this page so that I can write today's Unshackled Moment and prepare last night's sermon for posting. The audio has been turned into a video file and is being saved as I type this. Which, of course will take up even more of the memory that is free and the computer will slow its crawl. It might even begin crashing. It's gotten bad enough now that I must do something. I can not put it off any longer.

We need to be careful not to do with our lives what I have done with this computer. I know that I need to remove the weight and burden and worries from my life on a regular daily basis. I need to get them out of my memory and give them to the Lord. He can store those that need to be stored and take care of them, and He has the wisdom to know what can and needs to simply be deleted. I don't need to hang onto them, because even before I reach the absolute limits of what I can take, it effects me. I begin to be less able to serve and complete the things I need to do as my processes slow and freeze, and I struggle under the burden I am not designed to handle. If I hold on to too much for too long, I will actually break down and become a tool that can not be used.

It is my prayer to be of maximum service to God and to others. This is part of the way of life that makes my life worth living, brings joy and contentment and keeps me free from the bondage of addiction. There are parts of that prayer that can only be answered by God. It is His power that changes and transforms me. I can't change myself in any lasting or real way. But it is my job to surrender and daily respond to His call. One part of His call is to cast our cares on Him. When I refuse to surrender my cares to God, I am holding back a portion of my will and life. That is a dangerous path, but it's also a path that becomes harder and harder to travel as the load gets heavier and heavier.

Let us be quick to dump our cares and anxieties and not eat up precious processor speed and memory with things that God has asked us to give to Him. When we let it go, we can be more effective, and life is better. God is faithful and able to handle whatever we put in His hands.

Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on

February 4, 2016.

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