The Blue Screen of Death

Forgive me if this illustration is redundant. I don’t keep a very detailed catalog of every one of my illustrations so this could be a repeat. I can’t begin to count all of the times that I’ve had to troubleshoot a computer. I try to be incredibly careful with my computers, but I frequently find myself attempting to fix some hardware or software problem. Don’t let my experiences cause you to fear and shy away from computers. I wouldn’t be able to do much of anything without them. The hours, days, and weeks that I’ve spent on various computer-related difficulties have been worth it for the productivity, communication, and entertainment that computers provide for me. It’s really a love/hate relationship that keeps me on a constant emotional roller coaster. One day I am happy as a pig in mud, photoshopping myself having breakfast with Barack Obama. The next, I am literally ripping my hair out while writing down the error codes from an ominous blue screen. They might as well add maniacal laughter to this screen.
The human condition comes with its own share of troubleshooting. The parallel concepts between our lives and the “life” of a computer are numerous. For one, there is a lot of regular maintenance required. Galatians 5:25 tells us that we need to live and be guided by the Spirit. Living in the Spirit prevents a lot of problems. However, as stated in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned”. It’s difficult to free one’s self from sin. No matter how spiritually mature we think our selves to be, there is room for growth. Proverbs 26:12 says there is more hope for a fool than man who thinks himself to be wise. We have to be aware of our own shortcomings and do everything we can to overcome them. Remember that God is ready to forgive. We just have to be willing to change.

Look Mom! I'm Eating a Sandwich in the Pool!

You might want to sit down while reading this. I have some shocking news for you. Ready? Your parents are not always right. As wise and intelligent as they may be, your parents might have passed some inaccurate bits of medical advice on to you. An article in USA Today states that sugar, according to 12 different studies, does not make children hyper. 30 studies including a total of 11,000 people found that vitamin C has no effect on one’s ability to resist catching a cold. Here’s one I learned a few weeks ago that completely floored me: Going out in cold weather does not make you sick. Colds and flues are seasonal, striking most often in the winter. Did you know that you could go swimming directly after eating? You might be uncomfortable, but eating before swimming doesn’t cause life-threatening cramps. I don’t know how this advice came about, but you can wake a sleepwalker without hurting him or her.
Once about every week or two, I learn that I’ve been sharing an inaccurate piece of information. Some of these, like the belief that cold weather leads to sickness, have directed the way I live. I don’t plan to join the Polar Bear club and swim in artic waters, but I won’t make keeping warm my only method of preventing sickness. Even the most educated people in the world get it wrong sometimes. It’s not that we can’t learn from other people, but we should constantly seek growth in God. In 1 Cor. 3, Paul urges his readers to start with Christ as a foundation and build themselves up from there. Paul states that though we begin as infants in Christ, we become his buildings. No matter how much we know, there is always more to learn and more learned information to reinforce.