Okay, so my iPhone died. It was actually kind of dramatic. Screen went black, then the little Apple symbol showed up. Off, on, off, on… for about a minute then suddenly, a bright red screen followed by nothing. I have always heard about the blue screen of death on a computer but I was not prepared for the blood red flash. Gone. Death is never pretty- even on the electronic level.
Then it hit me. Um, do I have this thing backed up? I remembered getting the reminder to do it but I think, I am pretty sure, I decided I would do it later… oh, no. Pictures back to the beginning of time, contacts around the world, EVERYthing is on there.
I took a deep breath and headed to the phone store here in Israel. Surely they can fix it. One hour later I left the store without the reassurance I was sure I would be able to buy.
All is not lost yet; I will not give up! I will take my iPhone to the experts at Apple when I get to the States. For now I have my Israeli phone and my Surface computer. Good to go! Preparing to travel a bit so I decide to take my little computer for my work, writing, email, etc.
Fast forward a few days and I am catching up on my email. Computer is smaller than a laptop but it works well and I am happy. Then, in the middle of an email, the screen freezes. So do I. I sit still and watch it, expecting the little cursor will start blinking again. Anytime now. Um, okay. Sometimes I write faster than this little computer reacts. I will. wait. a. moment. Maybe if I put it down and walk away. It just needs time to think. I won’t look at it.
It is 30 minutes later and I find I cannot even turn it off. Frozen and dead. I would say a techie virus except this is a different method of dying from the iPhone. I set it aside and decide to let the battery run out. Maybe then it will be okay?
Next morning I charge it and am confident I can reboot my little computer. Surely that will work? I will just push this button and… why won’t it turn on? What is going on? The screen is dark and I am beginning to think I have a very eclectic-looking door stop. Oy vey!
Okay, calm now. I must have communication! Of course! I have my Israeli phone! Email, text, Skype- oh, no Skype on here. It is okay. I have email. Just push this little app and I can… hmm, maybe I need to refresh it. Waiting, waiting… why does it say “webpage not available”?
No panic. I will not panic and I will stay calm. All is fine. God is in control. Ohhhh, but apparently I am not!!
Decisions. It is all decisions. Right now I am having a very small panic attack. Not big. Just a little one. Ack!! Okay, I can do this. I have heard of electronic withdrawal but never planned on experiencing it!
Now stop. I must look at this from a different point of view; like from above.
If I truly believe God is in control of everything, then He knew this was coming. If it was absolutely necessary for me to have all my electronics working, maintain connection with the outside world, He would make it happen. But instead I find myself with limited access to others, no social media and no way to continue working. Can’t fix it so what can I do? I may as well relax.
For one week I have had two members of my family and two special friends with me. We traveled in Israel together and I took a regular camera with me to record the great times. The battery did not last long and I did not have the cable with me. But this time I could smile. I put it away and simply enjoyed everyone’s company. Listening to their banter, observing the teasing between them and laughing at their jokes. Honestly, I don’t think I have laughed that much or that hard in many years. I am sure I would not have noticed it if the various electric devices were available to me.
God knows what we need and when we need it. If we are willing to let Him take the wheel He will make sure we get where we need to be. But He also cares about us as people who need laughter, love, compassion, tears, friends and sometimes, quiet without interruptions from the modern world.
There are times you need to turn off your phones and shut down your computers. Kiss a spouse, hug a child, listen to a friend, pray for each one. Let your heart hear what God is saying to you. I guarantee He can contact you without Facebook.
Rebooting my spirit,
Susan
