Digital Death Spiral

DateLine (1/10/07 - Nanuet, NY)

Seems like I was spending more and more time waiting for computers to boot up, browsers to render websites, and applications to launch. What happened to those zippy new computers that I removed from their original boxes just months ago? Over the holiday weekend I spent too much time in front of multiple computers healing them from the “digital death spiral;” removing old unused programs, deleting unused files, defragmenting files systems, updated spyware, tweaking firewalls, updating antivirus defenses.

It didn’t happen overnight but steadily occurred over a period of time. I probably could have stemmed the tide by paying more attention to routine recommended maintenance practices, but, hey, computers are made to improve our lives making us more productive and to make life easier. Who wants to spend their time “under the hood” doing maintenance on the things. My motto is boot up, log on, and surf away.

The sad reality of these enablers of modern living is that their finest moment is in their finely tuned pristine state right out of the box. From that day on, they frustrate the user by continuously degraded performance. The more programs we load, web sites we visit, emails we open, and files we download, the more de-tuned the beast becomes; finally succumbing to the “digital death spiral.” I’ve seen computers in such bad shape that it takes 10-15 minutes just to boot up. What originally was a state of the art speed demon now plucks along like someone had poured molasses into the case. Eventually it gets to the point where we only have two choices; get rid of it or rebuild it. Defensive use and routine maintenance will prolong the inevitable but the system will eventually succumb to the spiral; if for no other reason than the latest operating system or monster application which requires more raw computer power than is contained in the system.

My holiday choice was to nurse my systems back to health by performing some much needed maintenance. Whatever the choice, it’s typically not a quick fix; many times requiring hours of time invested. Aren’t you amazed at the similarities between our own personnel predicament and the computers that “we” have created. One could argue that our finest moment is the first day of our life. We were cute, cuddly, soft, and innocent as proud parents gleefully introduced us to our new “home.” Unfortunately we began our own death spiral on the day of our birth.

Our physical death spiral is undeniable; the aging process takes it toll over the course of our life and it irreversible. It’s fascinating that we will spend literally billions of dollars to decelerate the aging process which in the big picture has minimal effect. Equally fascinating is the natural downward spiral of our spiritual lives. The more sin that we’re exposed to, the more tainted entertainment that we view, and the deeper we allow ourselves to be drawn into unhealthy lifestyles the more we fall short of our own personal potential that was so celebrated at our birth and the more estranged we are from a source of nourishment for our souls.

Unlike our physical death march, I’m happy to report that our spiritual journey does not have to be a downward spiral. Much like a good computer maintenance strategy; i.e. don’t load more programs than you have to, keep spyware up-to-date, keep antivirus up-to-date, be cautious about emails that we open, and be cautious about web sites that we visit; we can make positive steps to insure that our spiritual journey is an upward spiral. Those positive steps involve submitting ourselves to our creator and recognizing Him as Savior and Lord. Only God himself can shield us from spiritual death. Where do we start? Let me show you a little bit of God’s soul maintenance routines.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Want to “coo” like a new born baby. Put your soul in the hands of the Master today.