Have you ever tried to capture that perfect moment on your mobile phone? click, and the message comes up camera stopped! storage low! Most frustratingly I recently experienced this. With a sigh I set about deleting old photos, Apps and anything I thought was expendable, many sacrifices were made. A couple days later, I was faced with the same message. As you can imagine, frustration began to mount. Will this phone ever be free? I made the decision then to transfer photos etc to my laptop, in an effort to create space on my mobile. This was even more of a laborious process than I envisage. Being ‘technologically’ challenged, I was assisted with this task. To my amazement as we open different parts of the phone, places I did not know existed, we found data, photos and images that I thought was deleted at least two years ago. I thought these were gone however; they were still on my phone clogging up the devise, taking up space that I needed for storage today.
The pieces of the puzzle were finally being put into place; I eventually received the answer to my why’s? The space I had created never seem to materialised. I would delete pictures but still continue to have storage problems. They were in thumbnail and all over influencing how my phone operates.
This experience demonstrates effectively the impact on the mind of the things encountered in early life. Some incidents in childhood would have left an indelible impression on your mind and will be influencing your decisions, how you function as an individual and indeed how you live your life. There is a common error that is being perpetrated. This suggests that because we are Christians and have given our lives to Christ experiences that are painful and sometimes traumatic will automatically be deleted and disappear forever. However, as in the demonstration with my mobile, they are not deleted, rather they revert to the background and continue to influence how we live and interact with others.
Beginning to untangle the impact of the pass can be a very uncomfortable, frightening and sometimes painful journey. Making the decision to get rid of the stuff that are hidden in the background that are still interrupting and influencing our present and muddling relationships is a journey worth taking. Avoidance will keep you going around the same issues over and over and over again. This habit traps you in unhealthy habits, making the same mistakes and hoping for a different outcome.
This conversation can begin with an open, honest and authentic talk with God. You do not have to have a relationship with him to begin this dialogue. Just as you would take up the telephone and call a friend to share your hurts and pain, prayer is like talking to a friend. It does not have to be fancy words or well rehearsed speeches, from the heart tell him where you are and how you are feeling. I love the way David in the Psalm was never afraid to tell God just how he feels ‘Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon you and you will answer me.’ Ps 86:6.
A very well constructed post. I like the way you compare deletions of pictures on your phone with incidents in your life.
First of all, this literally happens with my phone all the time.
Second of all, I love how you used low storage on your phone and deleting/transferring pictures as a comparison to reflecting and understanding your past. I think you’re a great descriptive writer. xx
Thank you