I have a confession to make. I am among the world’s worst at holding on to pictures on my smart phone. Of course, this is okay, unless and until you begin to reach the point that you have little to no more space left on your device - which is exactly what just happened to me.
With the recent birth of my grandson, I was merrily snapping pictures with my smart phone camera, rolling up even more of them on an already precariously overloaded drive. A day or two later, when I was attempting to show these pictures to someone, my phone proceeded to tell me that it could not perform this basic function unless I freed up some space.
It gave me options for deleting any and every thing from apps to games to documents to downloaded files to music. And also pictures. After undertaking a thorough examination, I soon realized that there were pictures on my phone dating back years ago.
What is more, I also soon discovered that, as is the case with the vast majority of people, all of my pictures were already backed up on a cloud anyway. This process comes as a basic feature included as a part of my carrier’s package.
So I checked, and lo and behold, there sat all my Christmas, Easter, and birthday photos from past years, as well as pictures from vacations, mission trips, sabbaticals, and other overseas travels. These were the very same pictures that were clogging up my phone.
All of this, of course, raised an inevitable question. Why was I carrying around all of these unnecessary extra copies of pictures from yesterday on my smart phone - pictures which were only clogging up my already overcrowded disk space, and thereby hampering my ability to snap new and equally important pictures in the future?
My wife keeps a little sign hanging up that says, “Turn the corner and let it go!” I decided that was pretty good advice. And so, after checking one last time to see that the pictures were already backed up, I finally mustered up the courage and pressed that little button labeled “Delete”.
The result? You guessed it. Scores of gigabytes of disk space were instantly freed up, enabling me to be prepared to record whatever next memorable moment(s) might come my way in life. Not to mention the added benefit of a smart phone that now works noticeably faster than before.
As I have reflected on this, I have concluded that herein lies a pretty good lesson for life. If we are not careful, we can wind up going through this world needlessly carrying excess baggage with us. But when we do, we unnecessarily burden ourselves, not only with a cumbersome load, but also with an unhealthy fixation on the past that can actually hamper our ability to embrace and enjoy the blessings of the future.
Thus, my smart phone now has a clean slate; and, encouraged by this development, I am beginning to apply the same approach to other areas of my life. Already, I am seeing the difference!
Perhaps this is what God meant when He spoke through Isaiah the prophet (chapter 43, verses 18-19, GWT), saying: 18Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago. 19I am going to do something new. It is already happening. Don't you recognize it?
Picture that! A life spent looking forward as much as backward! Maybe you might benefit by taking similar steps. If so, go ahead, my friend, hit that delete button. Sure, it requires a little courage. But take it from one who has been there… it’s very freeing once you do!
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/gwt/isaiah/43.htm.
With the recent birth of my grandson, I was merrily snapping pictures with my smart phone camera, rolling up even more of them on an already precariously overloaded drive. A day or two later, when I was attempting to show these pictures to someone, my phone proceeded to tell me that it could not perform this basic function unless I freed up some space.
It gave me options for deleting any and every thing from apps to games to documents to downloaded files to music. And also pictures. After undertaking a thorough examination, I soon realized that there were pictures on my phone dating back years ago.
What is more, I also soon discovered that, as is the case with the vast majority of people, all of my pictures were already backed up on a cloud anyway. This process comes as a basic feature included as a part of my carrier’s package.
So I checked, and lo and behold, there sat all my Christmas, Easter, and birthday photos from past years, as well as pictures from vacations, mission trips, sabbaticals, and other overseas travels. These were the very same pictures that were clogging up my phone.
All of this, of course, raised an inevitable question. Why was I carrying around all of these unnecessary extra copies of pictures from yesterday on my smart phone - pictures which were only clogging up my already overcrowded disk space, and thereby hampering my ability to snap new and equally important pictures in the future?
My wife keeps a little sign hanging up that says, “Turn the corner and let it go!” I decided that was pretty good advice. And so, after checking one last time to see that the pictures were already backed up, I finally mustered up the courage and pressed that little button labeled “Delete”.
The result? You guessed it. Scores of gigabytes of disk space were instantly freed up, enabling me to be prepared to record whatever next memorable moment(s) might come my way in life. Not to mention the added benefit of a smart phone that now works noticeably faster than before.
As I have reflected on this, I have concluded that herein lies a pretty good lesson for life. If we are not careful, we can wind up going through this world needlessly carrying excess baggage with us. But when we do, we unnecessarily burden ourselves, not only with a cumbersome load, but also with an unhealthy fixation on the past that can actually hamper our ability to embrace and enjoy the blessings of the future.
Thus, my smart phone now has a clean slate; and, encouraged by this development, I am beginning to apply the same approach to other areas of my life. Already, I am seeing the difference!
Perhaps this is what God meant when He spoke through Isaiah the prophet (chapter 43, verses 18-19, GWT), saying: 18Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago. 19I am going to do something new. It is already happening. Don't you recognize it?
Picture that! A life spent looking forward as much as backward! Maybe you might benefit by taking similar steps. If so, go ahead, my friend, hit that delete button. Sure, it requires a little courage. But take it from one who has been there… it’s very freeing once you do!
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/gwt/isaiah/43.htm.