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My 4 year old Dell cratered this weekend. I’ve been dragging my feet trying to fix it. I’ve tried the easy stuff - safe mode boot, boot to the last known working configuration…doesn’t matter. Still get the wonderful blue screen. I think the myriad of kids games did it in.
I think if I get the XP restore disk - it will be okay. Then again, maybe not. Either way, I’m resigned to the fact that the Dell is history. I’m not going to be spending the money to replace it. I’ll miss it. Dell makes a great product. As opposed to this HP piece I’m on right now. By the way - HP new slogan should be “The Computer is a Personal Hell Again.” But I digress.
As a kid, if something broke, I took it to dad. 9 times out of 10, he could fix it. I didn’t understand half the time what he did. All I knew is that he fixed it. It was a simple plan of security for my life. Something breaks - go to dad.
Because of my lack of “fix-it” skills, I’m preparing my kids for the real world. In other words - sometimes when you break something, it’s broke. I can remember Camber breaking something and her sorry “I’m sorry” like 400 times. Hey, no big deal, accidents happen but sometimes it doesn’t matter how sorry you are - it still can’t be fixed. You either get a new one or go without. Is this method expensive? Can be. Is it humiliating/embarrassing? At times.
But I can’t escape the authenticity of it either. How true to real life is that? A relationship breaks because of a careless, thoughtless word or deed and you either have to redefine it to the point where it is new or you go without. Something inside you breaks, doesn’t work right - either get a new one (rebirth, regeneration, repent) or go without. Decisions we make have real consequences and outcomes. Sometimes our mistakes are fixable. Sometimes they aren’t. Repentance and forgiveness is available but that doesn’t take away the hurt or the brokenness.
We (pastors) have a tendency to preach that if you bring all your brokenness and problems to Jesus, he can fix them. I think by and large that is true with this disclosure. Sometimes it means trashing what we have for something brand new. It will mean throwing away the brokeness we have to exchange it for something new. And sometimes letting that brokenness go is too difficult to do.
As a result, we sit in the kitchen crying over the brokenness refusing to let it go. I think we underestimate both how wonderful the newness is and how difficult letting go of the brokenness is.
I’m not sure what (if any) solution there is. I just know sometimes broke is broke. And I’m learning how to live in that reality WITH Jesus, instead of demanding He immediately fix it.
7 responses so far ↓
1 MikeS // Apr 11, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Ok, question: Aren’t there things we should want repaired rather than replaced? Wouldn’t God rather fix somethings, rather than replace them? Take marriages for example. I would think that God prefers to fix a marriage than replace it with a new one. Of course, in some circumstances, any repair will make the old feel like new.
Then again, there’s parts of our lives that do need replacing - new habits for old ones, traditions for breakthroughs, etc.
You’re right - I don’t think Jesus ever intended to “fix” everything. Maybe that’s why we’re told that when we place our trust in Him as Lord and Savior we are a NEW creation, not a fixed one.
Just some thoughts. Keep it up, bro.
2 Paul // Apr 11, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Just a good reason to get a Mac.
3 britton // Apr 11, 2007 at 6:31 pm
I agree with Paul. Ain’t nothing like a Macbook Pro.
4 heath // Apr 12, 2007 at 6:08 am
I disagree with Britton… there is something like a macbook pro. $2000.
At this point you have nothing to loose… go download Ubuntu Linux, install it on the ol’ dell and give it a try. It may take a couple of days to tweak it, but I think you’ll like the OS. If you like you can ship the thing to me and i’ll get it working and send it back to ya. No charge, of course.
5 Grant // Apr 12, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Heath - I may just take you up on that.
And yeah, the $$ for a mac is a major issue.
6 wayne // Apr 13, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Grant, with the $’s you make as a student pastor, you can afford a mac…come on!
7 Coach Lane // Apr 19, 2007 at 4:32 pm
When Chris jr. was a little one, he was convinced I could fix anything. I’ve always been a handy guy, and not only do I have great regular tools, I have a stunning collection of hobby tools, perfect for fixing broken Ninja Turtle toys and the like. The height of his daddy fix-it worship came when he brought me a balloon that had popped. After almost twenty years I can still see his big, soft brown eyes widen as I explained that the soggy, limp latex he held out to me was beyond my ability to fix. As he got older there were more and more things that I lacked the skill, time or frankly the motivation to fix and replacement became a more common occurrence.
So it’s no stretch for me to see why we associate our earthly father’s fix-it limitations to our Heavenly Father. Based on our experience we conclude it is simpler, faster or more cost effective to replace a marriage, a relationship or a friend. And we lack the faith that our Heavenly Father has the time or the inclination to fix what’s broken in us.
Once you go Mac, you’ll never go back!
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