Gretchen Henner's Blog
Ragamuffin Laptop / 01.28.10, 06:54 PM
I’ve never learned so much from a computer before. The following is a journal entry that I converted into a devotional for the Esperanza staff.
Yesterday I need a laptop to work with Gloria, so I called Stephen. He said that he had one, but it was in pretty rough shape. “I’ll take it!” I responded defiantly. I soon found out how right he was. The screen was more of less off its hinges, and the outer plastic shell was cracked and popping off all over the place. It looks like it’d been dropped… repeatedly. As I booted it up Gloria began to joke about how she’d give me $25 for it. As I observed it’s sorry state I slowly realized that I’m a lot like that laptop. It was not a bad laptop; it functioned perfectly. It just had something bad happen to it. Similarly, I am not a bad person. I’ve just had some painful things happen to me. I know that for me, the devil whispers in my ear that there is something wrong with me and that’s just how I am. The fact is that we’ve all been hurt in very deep and real ways. Although Stephen may not have had the power to fix the frame on the laptop, God does have the power to fix me. However, He may chose to leave us as we are in some ways to show His might, His love and, consequently, our beloved-ness. See, I used that laptop for the entire day and even grew some what affectionate toward it, much like Charlie Brown toward the pathetic tree in a Charlie Brown Christmas. (And how much more can God love us than I can love a laptop?!?) I know that this is how God feels about us. He knows that we are beat-up, bedraggled, burnt-out and discouraged, so when He presses the power button and we turn on or He moves the mouse and our cursor follows, He is proud. Today I don’t want to challenge you to increase in any spiritual discipline or work or strain to please God anymore than you already are. Today I want to invite you to rest. Our culture is very appearance and accomplishment driven. It is hard to imagine anyone, especially God, loving us without us working for it, but that is how God’s love is. So embrace your brokenness. Embrace your beloved-ness. Embrace grace.
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It is your Laptop devotional! I am so glad you shared it. Love you G =)
By Megan / Feb 1, 01:42 PM / #