Shooting Trouble

Ever find yourself about to throw a computer or take a sledgehammer to a printer (a la Office Space)? 

Ever feel like computers/cell phones/etc are out to get you? 

I've never actually gone as far as to pick up my computer with the intention of throwing it, but the thought has crossed my mind. There just seem to be those moments when technology appears to be conspiring against me to make my life miserable. It's a ridiculous thought, I know, but it has crossed my mind more than once nonetheless. 

There is, though, a silver lining to the cloud of frustration that trying to troubleshoot a technological problem can bring. I was thinking about this as I was trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to update the operating system on my phone earlier.  As I found myself getting more and more frustrated, I realized I was learning a few things about myself and the world we live in: 

1.  It helps to talk to/read advice from people who've been there before. It won't solve your problem for you, but it will help you avoid making a lot of common mistakes. 

2. The more obstacles I run into, the more intense my emotions get, and the more intense my emotions get, the more dramatic my thoughts become (such as: technology is out to get me, God is punishing me through my computer troubles). Perspective gets lost pretty quickly in the face of intense emotions. 

3. When I start something, it's hard for me to stop, even if I know that my time might be better spent on other things. I keep imagining that if I just try a little bit harder, if I just try one more thing, I will fix the problem, even if I know that it might be time to cut my losses and move on. Again, chalk some more loss of perspective up to raised emotions and frustration. 

In a way, this is also because troubleshooting can be kind of like a game or a drug: the rewards come faster than the rest of life (you get instant feedback with each new approach you try), making it an easy way to distract yourself from real life. 

I'm all for perseverance, but sometimes you just have to put it down for the day. 

4. Finally, while I don't think God was punishing me through my interactions with my computer, I do think he was teaching me through them. Specifically, I think he showing me how much I can talk about trusting and serving him, and how little I actually turn to him when faced with problems and/or the task of organizing my day. It's easy to talk about God, even talk to God, while living a life where we seek little to no actual impact/input/intervention from him.