Storage Space

Phone storage is one of my most frustrating weekly battles. I find myself constantly deleting apps and pictures and trying to rearrange things in order to avoid that annoying pop-up reminder that my storage is nearly full. I feel like I’ve literally just sorted it when it rears its ugly head again! I even have an extra monthly “cloud” add-on to allow me extra space! One of my biggest irritations is when the mysterious “cloud” decides for me which apps to offline without consulting me. Then, ridiculously, I find myself in an extremely inconvenient situation, like being stranded in London and desperately hoping my bus times app will reload in time for me to make it to my destination. What often happens is I delete and then reload apps and spend ages going through files and photos in order to organise my phone which is supposed to make life more efficient. Too much wasted energy is thrown at this process and it irks me! (Random fact – I love the word ‘irk’).

Unfortunately, I have to hold my hands up and say it’s probably down to user error rather than a technical fault. If I’m honest I can’t think of anything duller than spending a precious child-free evening figuring out how to properly rectify the issue. In fairness, I have tried a few times but it leads only to further frustration as I can’t figure out how to improve the issue. (All phone-storage-for-dummies suggestions welcome!) The add-on storage I pay for on top of my bill is so little per month that it seems like a good temporary solution. However, that temporary solution has now lasted six months! If you total the overall spend it’s definitely money that I could be spending elsewhere in a better way. Not only do I still not have enough space on my phone but now I’m paying for the ‘privilege’. I wonder at what point I will stop brushing this annoyance under the carpet and actually learn to deal with the cause of the continuing problem? Now that I’ve shared it with you all, I feel it’s about time I dealt with it! You can keep me accountable.

God often speaks to me through the ordinary everyday experiences of life. As I was frowning once again at my phone and trying to refrain from throwing it through the window – yes I do need space for one more cute picture of my child even if it looks the same as the last five –  I reflected on what issues in my own life (apart from phone storage) I keep pushing to one side. Perhaps they aren’t so huge that they cause major ripples in my day to day life but too much energy, time or stress is being spent on them. Like when totalling up the cost of my add-on storage bill, it all soon compounds.

Could we be living more care-free in some areas of our life? Could we have more freedom in others if we just sat down and faced some issues head-on, no matter how dull or even painful? If we took a step back and considered the long-term effects on our health, finances, relationships or careers we’d probably view things differently. There’s only so long we can keep rearranging our “apps” before something has to change.

It’s often easy to “deal” with big things head on because they often have an immediate and obvious effect on our lives. We have to be careful, however, not to neglect the small niggling things in hope that they will magically disappear if we ignore them for long enough. Like a child playing hide and seek that thinks just because their eyes are closed, they can’t be detected.

Many small things can actually shake our foundations more than huge events if left unattended. Did you know that termites are known as ‘silent destroyers’? They can chew through wood, flooring and wallpaper undetected for a long time, which apparently (according to pestworldforkids.org) contributes to a massive yearly damage cost to properties of around $5 billion dollars!! They are only ¼ of an inch long and yet together colonies of them cause insurmountable damage.

What “small” things are we not dealing with that if rectified could allow us more space and energy in our soul to focus on moving forward into greater avenues. What are we unnecessarily paying extra for, with our finances or time and energy? God is so good and faithful, He desires wholeness and purpose for us and is ever patient. He lovingly guides us, if we allow Him, into the continued path of righteousness. This isn’t a path to obtaining perfection through rules and striving, but rather continued revelation of our right-standing in Christ, and therefore all that we are and have access to because of His love and sacrifice. How much more space would we have to fill our lives with good if we sorted out our storage issues and properly cleaned out our data?

It’s just a short blog this week, nothing particularly profound but rather a nudge to myself and maybe you if the shoe fits, towards making room for more of Him and less of annoying underlying things, that left unchecked, have potential to cause more strife than I need to deal with in this life. Who’s got time for that? Not me! Some circumstances in life require extreme breakthrough and prayer and others just require us to stop long enough to linger in His goodness and accept His grace to deal with our “stuff”.

Recently I’ve been delving into “The Passion Translation” of the Psalms. The language is beautiful and eloquent and it’s been a refreshing journey into the continued goodness of God. I’ll sign off (and check my phone storage plan – maybe) and leave you with the one I read yesterday and pray it will lead us to His wonder, love and guidance as we take time to Selah and prepare to clear out some unnecessary nuisances.

Psalm 19 – The Passion Translation

“God’s Story in the Skies

God’s splendour is a tale that is told;

his testament is written in the stars.

Space itself speaks his story every day

through the marvels of the heavens.

His truth is on tour in the starry vault of the sky,

showing his skill in creation’s craftsmanship.

Each day gushes out its message to the next,

night with night whispering its knowledge to all.

Without a sound, without a word, without a voice being heard,

Yet all the world can see its story.

Everywhere its gospel is clearly read so all may know.

What a heavenly home God has set for the sun,

shining in the superdome of the sky!

See how he leaves his celestial chamber each morning,

radiant as a bridegroom ready for his wedding,

like a day-breaking champion eager to run his course.

He rises on one horizon, completing his circuit on the other,

warming lives and lands with his heat.

God’s Story in the Scriptures

God’s Word is perfect in every way;

how it revives our souls!

His laws lead us to truth,

and his ways change the simple into wise.

His teachings make us joyful and radiate his light;

his precepts are so pure!

His commands, how they challenge us to keep close to his heart!

The revelation-light of his word makes my spirit shine radiant.

Every one of the Lord’s commands is right;

following them brings cheer.

Nothing he says ever needs to be changed.

The rarest treasures of life are found in his truth.

That’s why I prize God’s word like others prize the finest gold.

Nothing brings the soul such sweetness

as seeking his living words.

For they warn us, his servants,

and keep us from following the wicked way,

giving a lifetime guarantee:

great success to every obedient soul!

Without this revelation-light,

how would I ever detect the waywardness of my heart?

Lord, forgive my hidden flaws whenever you find them.

Keep cleansing me, God,

and keep me from my secret, selfish sins;

may they never rule over me!

For only then will I be free from fault

and remain innocent of rebellion.

So may the words of my mouth, my meditation-thoughts,

and every movement of my heart be always pure and pleasing,

acceptable before your eyes,

my only Redeemer, my Protector-God”

 

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