Monday, May 2, 2016

Life and Laptops With Guest Tisha Martin

Life doesn’t always fit into our neat little boxes. I know that when my laptop crashed twice in two weeks when I was finishing my master’s thesis, the little box I had created was crushed by this unforeseen catastrophe.

I’m sure it was the same for David in 1 Samuel 30. The Amalekites had invaded and had taken all of the women and children. David’s men wanted to kill him, but David did not forget Who was on the throne. He prayed before the Lord if he should go up against the Amalekites. For a man who had just lost his family and those of his men’s, it is humbling to see how he consulted God before pursuing the ruthless troop of Amalek. David encouraged himself in the Lord and sought his God’s blessing. After David received God’s blessing to pursue the troop, I can imagine he and his men brandished swords and dashed off in fervent pursuit.

David could have simply given up. He could have said, “God, all is lost.” But if it were not for the men threatening him with his life and his own relationship with God, David could not have been so successful. God knew that David would need an ambassador to show him the way to the wives and children. God sent the Egyptian to show him the way, a refreshing boost of encouragement, a light along the path. Toward the end of 1 Samuel 30, David wins a great victory: he recovers everything that the Amalekites had taken.

David had the faith to believe that if he trusted God, he would reap the rewards. God never fails us, no matter how dark our moments.

After my laptop crashed the first time, I sat there for a few moments, wondering how I was going to rescue my 35-page thesis. I texted a few tech-savvy friends, but to no avail. “Well,” I said, “there’s nothing I can do right now.” I left my dorm room to head to dinner while I waited for more answers.
Along the way, I ran into a friend. “Hey, you wouldn’t know anyone who can fix a laptop, do you?”

“I sure do,” she said.

And within two hours, my laptop was in good running order.

The second time my laptop crashed, I emailed the thirteenth draft to myself. Ten minutes later, I had lost everything. But I still had a backup plan. If God had not given me the thought to email the document to myself, I would have been re-typing that thesis which was due in only five short days.

Even as I write this post from a borrowed computer, I’m thankful that God works all the details of our lives together, even if things don’t go according to our tight little plans. As for God, His way is perfect, and His plans are always better.

AUTHOR BIO
Tisha Martin has been published since 2002 in both magazine and online publications. She lives in central Illinois and is currently working on a historical fiction trilogy that spans both world wars and the Korean War. She enjoys horses, vintage hats, and encouraging others.

1 comment:

  1. Technology is wonderful and fun but you have to remind it who's superior (or supposed to be!)

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