Are You Afraid of the 'Enter' Button?

I had a very strange dream last night. It wasn't really a dream like you would normally expect. Dreams are usually like real life experiences aren't they, but in a different, sort of warped way? This was really short. About this short: "Hi, how are you?" And then it finished.

I wouldn't normally tell the world about my dreams. I mean, who really cares, right? But this one made me think about other things.

So basically, it went like this: My finger was about to hit the 'Enter' button on my computer, when it hesitated, and I heard a voice say "You're afraid of the 'Enter' button, aren't you?"

So I thought, why am I afraid?

Because I can't trust the outcome. Sometimes I hit Enter on my computer, especially using the internet, and it freezes, or takes ages to load a page. Occasionally, I pop home to check my emails, but it takes too long to load, so I have to go out again without having read the info I needed. Or I might want to do some online banking, but it doesn't work...

But of course, the practicalities of life are never my real priority. I am too busy daydreaming and thinking about things of little or no relevance. Consequently, the Enter button I am talking about is not purely the one on my laptop. I think it could represent something else. So I thought a bit deeper about this.

When I make decisions, or take action. That is like pushing Enter. It is like going onto the next thing. It is like going on to the next stage, in whatever that may be. In computer language, (which I don't speak very well) It is like you type in a web address, then push Enter and wait. In other words, you think about what page you want to view, you type the letters, and then Enter......

Hopefully it turns out how you expect. You don't want freezes, popups and crashes etc.

Same with life. You think about it, take the actions required, and then hope that the consequences of your actions, work out how you want them to. The thing with life that can make it difficult, is that we haven't been here before. So we don't always know what the consequences of our decisions will be. This is my first time trying this life thing out. There is a lot I don't know about!

So I am afraid to make decisions because I don't know, or don't trust what will happen next. It is unsafe. What if I freeze. What if I crash. What if all sorts of things pop up that I don't know how to deal with. What if I ruin my hard drive and lose years of memories and information? Sure, a Computer Technician may be able to fix the problems, but I risk losing everything in the process.

Just like a computer, life has an underlying system that keeps things running. Laws of physics, spiritual laws, etc. When I push Enter on my keyboard, I trust that I will get what I want. And this is trusting a man-made machine. So when I make a decision in life, I am stepping into the unknown. I don't always know what the results of my actions will be. I am trusting the God-who-made-man to deal with those results. We don't know what will happen, but we do know who is in control. So I probably shouldn't be afraid of the Enter button. But sometimes fear of the unknown can be a powerful force.

What will happen if I don't push enter?

Healthy Homes

It's that time of year again, when it starts to get cold, damp, and dark. Some people love winter and the cosy, fireside-under-the-blanket lifestyle it brings. Some people despise it's icy tentacles invading and enveloping your warm summery life. The heater comes out of the cupboard and proceeds to increase your power bill, with it's stony grill face smirking at your predicament.

The catch22 situation arises in Christchurch, where fresh, crisp, clear blue skies appear frequently, but we can't enjoy the view because our windows are blanketed with wet, dripping windows inside our homes. That's what got me thinking.

Is your view of life impeded by dirty, or condensation covered windows?

As we live our lives, we all create an atmosphere within our hearts and around about us. Our choices, mindsets, attitudes, thoughts etc all create and give off energy (I hate that word, it sounds like new age mumbo jumbo) but anyway, i'll use it...

Just like in our homes, we breathe, cook, sleep, etc and this creates humidity in our homes, making them damp, unhealthy, cold, mouldy, and covers the windows, stopping light from getting in, and stopping ourselves from seeing out. To fix this, we have to open our windows, wipe them down, use a dehumidifier, install healthy heating and ventilation etc. Then our homes are much better places to live in. They cost less to heat. The air is cleaner. It's all good stuff...

In our lives, we have to do similar things in order for our spirits, souls, bodies to stay healthy. We should regularly "open up our windows" and let others see in. We shouldn't close off, we should always be looking to refresh our vision, so that we have new hope each morning and let light, and beauty into our hearts. We should instill habits into our lives that "dehumidify" our hearts. Praying, talking honestly, forgiving people, apologising, being thankful etc, all create a healthy atmosphere in your inner world.

With your humidity levels down (some of us have such high levels that it feels like steam is coming out of our ears!) then it takes far less "heat" to warm your home. What I mean by this is, One word of encouragement can make your day. One of your favourite songs makes you happy all day, one walk along the beach and you feel content for the rest of the week. When your inner world is healthy, it doesn't take much for you to feel good, but when it is unhealthy, then you can crank the heater all day and still feel cold... ie, you can spend your whole life trying to get approval from others, getting drunk, sleeping around, being needy, constantly searching for the next thing to make you feel good and it will never satisfy you. You will always feel cold and angry and will probably blame others and hate God...

So, I strongly suggest that you do something to make your inner world healthier and your life will improve immeasurably. Everything starts from your heart, and the rest of your life reflects the condition that it is in. Just like living in a warm healthy home can make you feel much better than if you lived in a cold, dark, damp house, wrapped up in your sleeping bag just to fend off those unpleasant feelings...

Warm up New Zealand ;)