It's Not Broken -- Just Wrong Programming

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the fitness center in my community to run on the treadmill. As I ran, I watched the Dallas Cowboys game and they got off to a great start but, apparently they were "out of order" because they lost to Atlanta 7 to 27. On the same note, occasionally, you’ll see a sign on one of the treadmills in my fitness center that says “temporarily out of order”. I heard about one gal who was running on a treadmill and it started picking up speed -- a lot of speed -- and she nearly fell before she could get it to stop. But, it wasn’t about the equipment malfunctioning – it was because she "entered" a program she wasn’t capable of handling. It was “user error” and wrong programming. Now I know why they have some treadmills with a sign on them that says “This treadmill is for those members who prefer a slower pace.” So far, I’ve stayed clear of those machines!

Here’s my point for today’s post. We could be going about our daily routines -- coasting along -- business as usual. When, all of a sudden, our world feels like it's out of control and can't seem to stop the all-too-fast pace we are keeping. We realize we're about to lose it.....and we know we MUST push the STOP button, or we'll crash and burn. When we stop, we realize something is wrong -- is it my circumstances or is it ME that is out of order or I need reprogramming?

God created us as powerful, fully equipped "machines" that have everything we need to perform at full capacity, but occasionally "stuff" happens that causes our programming to become dysfunctional. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I was hit with an "issue" and I needed to go see my doctor as sson as possible. After tests were run, while giving the diagnosis, my doctor asked “How much water are you drinking?” I was caught by my doctor AND my body. I was drinking mostly tea and coffee and NOT drinking enough water, so my body AND my “programming” malfunctioned.

If we desire to be victorious, strong, confident, and faith-filled, always ready to run our race with vigor and vitality, we must keep up with maintenance checks -- to be sure we're programmed for efficiency. If that programming starts malfunctioning -- i.e., our physical bodies start breaking down, or we allow negative thoughts to bombard our minds – thoughts of fear, lack of self esteem, quitting thoughts, inferiority – it’s time to update our programming and get a tune-up -- from the neck up. Our thinking probably needs to be reprogrammed.
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Our Master Technician's instruction manual (The Bible) has all the operating standards we need to run at best performance. And, it gives us all the basics we need to "Troubleshoot", "Reboot" and "Reprogram". Once we apply this technique -- we'll be guaranteed to continue to run with efficiency and success. Here's one of the BEST peak performance tips:

Joshua 1:8 "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

The Sweet Sounds From a Tuned Piano

SURPRISE!!! Happy Birthday, Payton! Yesterday was my #3 grandson's (in order of birth-dates) 16th birthday. That morning, I sent him a text that said, "I wish I were there to celebrate your birthday today, but we'll make up for it while we're fishing next week!" So, it was a big surprise when he came home from spending the night with a friend and saw me. I loved the outdoor decor' that made this day a really big deal for him.

What was an even bigger surprise than his Nana and the yard decor', was the gift his Mom and Dad gave him....a new ebony baby grand piano. Payton is a gifted pianist and though he's had a lovely antique baby grand, the sound and touch of this one takes his gift to a whole new level. The piano was delivered yesterday morning before Payton came home and when the technician played it, there was a key slightly off, so we watched him take the piano completely apart. It was quite the sight -- we'd never seen before.

All those intricate parts, when aligned so precisely, provide such beautiful tones for anyone who knows the art of playing. But if one of those parts is out of order, as beautiful as the other keys are, that one makes the others appear out of order as well. Once he pulled all the guts out, made just the slightest adjustments, bada bing bada boom, exquisite tones came from that piano. It became a masterpiece of artistry and engineering in their home.

That made me think about God's masterpiece creation, you and me. When we are in "tune" with our creator -- and being who He created us to be, we make beautiful, harmonious sounds and movements. He takes pleasure in hearing our praises and songs of joy to Him. But when His creation is "off" -- like our attitude that exudes negativity, anger, complaining, crankiness or are just plain out-of-sorts, then who He destined us to be, is not expressing the creator's intentions for His intricately designed, one-of-a-kind original. That's the time we need the Master Technician to tune us up, work us over, turn us inside out, and, though it may be painful, He will create in us the ability to make the most beautiful music that will touch the hearts of those around us with His love, His joy, His peace. We just need to submit to the Master Technician. We need to “Let go and let God” come visit us. Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."

It's Not Broken -- Just Wrong Programming

Day 305 of Photo Inspirations -- It's Not Broken -- Just Wrong Programming
One of the women in my community was running on the clubhouse treadmill and it started picking up speed -- a lot of speed -- and she nearly fell before she could get it to stop.   About the same time, someone else said another one of the treadmills had an "issue" also.   So we put "Out of Order" signs on them and called the Nordic Track technician to come out to repair them.  He took a look at both of them -- and found that neither were broken, but both had "wrong" programming.  He said the users had done some pretty crazy programming on them, thus our resident's almost-accident..

That incident gave me inspiration for today's post.

We could be going about our daily routines -- coasting along -- business as usual.  When, all of a sudden, our world feels like it's out of control and can't seem to stop the all-too-fast pace we are keeping.  We realize we're about to lose it.....and we know we MUST push the STOP button, or we'll crash and burn.   When we stop, we realize something was wrong, and perhaps like our treadmills......something went haywire with our programming.

God created us as powerful, fully equipped, state-of-the-art "machines" that have everything we need to perform at full capacity, but occasionally "stuff" happens that causes our programming to become dysfunctional.   If we desire to be victorious, strong, confident, faith-filled, optimistic and always ready to run our race with vigor and vitality, we have to keep up with maintenance checks -- to be sure we're programmed for efficiency.  If that programming starts malfunctioning -- eg. negative thoughts  like inadequacy, weakness, lack of self esteem, stinkin' thinkin', poverty mentality, failing or quitting thoughts, inferiority -- time to update our programming and have a tune-up....from the neck up.   Our thinking probably needs to be reprogrammed.  .

Our Master Technician's instruction manual (The Bible) has great standards for us to operate at best performance.  And, it gives us all the basics we need to "Troubleshoot", "Reboot" and  "Reprogram".  Once we apply this technique -- we'll be guaranteed to continue to run with full out efficiency and success.  Here's one of the BEST peak performance tips:

Joshua 1:8 "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."