Darren’s God Blog: “What Happens?”

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself getting caught up in the negativity in the media. I don’t intend to let it get to me, but it does. When bad things happen, how do you react? Many people explain it away with the famous phrase, “Sh*# happens.” We sometimes lock onto the bad and forget to be thankful and celebrate all the good.

In my God journey this past week, I had a major issue with my computer. While I was teaching a public speaking class in Las Vegas, my computer screen started freaking out. Vibrating lines appeared across my screen. Fortunately for the class, that did not transfer to the projector on the screen. Whew.

When I got home I restarted the computer, and although it was slower, it worked fine for five minutes. I started remembering a presentation I had done a few years before. The computer would not talk to the projector just before a presentation. A friend prayed over the computer, and it worked!

Since it had worked before, I thought, why not now? I prayed over my computer. It then worked for two minutes. I prayed. I restarted it again. It then worked for one minute. I prayed. This happened more than six times until finally it would not even turn on. Surprising even to me, I was calm while knowing I was not going to get much work done that night. I now have a new priority in my work day. Prayers not answered?

The next day I brought it to the computer repair shop, and they thought it might be a video card. They even said that if that was the problem, Apple would replace the video card for free and overnight them a new one. When I picked it up the next day, it worked. They said that Apple would even cover the labor. Really? Wow.

Though I’m still on my own journey to understanding God and my relationship with Him, I felt that the praying did work. I just got a reminder that, first, I was not in control; He was. Second, my prayers were answered, but in God’s time, not mine. Favor happens, too. Let’s remember to celebrate all of the good. Though I know I’m not the first one to think of that phrase, I wish I had. In fact I made a little reminder in my office that says Favor Happens. My intention is to keep myself focused on the blessings.

(FYI: If you read last week’s God blog… yes, I added this to my journal!)

Thank God for truth, love, and laughter,

Darren