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The crash…

I survived THE CRASH. Not a car crash or a plane crash. A computer crash. Yes you read correctly – for the second time in my life as a business owner, this has happened.

The first time was 15 years ago and let me tell you, I did not deal with it like I did now. I was upset and crying the whole time. Wasting precious time and energy on something that was out of my control.

This time it was different. It was a new laptop, 3 months old. No work data lost, but other personal and business data (that I decided to store electronically on my C: due to the sensitivity of the information) was lost.

Yet, all was not lost if this makes sense? My e-mails are on a web based platform, so I only lost really old e-mails from longer than 4 years ago. Let me rather say, I cannot access them now. This is probably ok as the information is not necessarily relevant you know?

All the business documents are on e-mail on the web, I just have to locate them again and save them like I used to. Fill in the gaps from when I got the new computer to now. Long and short is I can work around it. It is a pain, but it can be done. My biggest frustration? Not being able to work for 3 days while trying to recover data, setting up on another laptop…..trying to remember links, etc.

I told the people that work for me I feel like I started a new job! I am there, earning a salary but not contributing to pay the salary. I felt lost, hopeless with no one to guide me as to what to do!

This whole week a song has been playing in my mind. Matthew West’s Brand New. I could not understand WHAT God was trying to tell me with this song? If you listen to the words, it is more applicable, in my opinion, to someone that has just turned their life around.

I then felt deep in my spirit God pressing on my heart so many things I have been praying about for so long. Things that He says MUST happen. Things that I was doubting on whether I HEARD correctly. He sends me 2 verses confirming something that must be done, one verse overlapping in two messages if that makes sense? I got three messages, coincidently the second one I received, had both verses on.

When I realised that the laptop was crashing I prayed for it. I anointed it. I bound the work of the devil, because I thought it was him trying to stop me from doing what God had laid on my heart to do. I just did not grab the garlic to keep the vampires away (as some myths teach people)…. I was frustrated but calm at the same time. Never in my life had I been this calm about something as big as this. Remember – this is my WORK LIFE that is going up in smoke so to speak!

But, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that God allowed this to happen. He created order for me because He saw that I could not create it! You see, I had a system on Outlook. It worked wonderfully for me, or so I thought. But that system that I had was actually driving me into the ground, causing me to not function efficiently!

I was in such a daze feeling overwhelmed all of the time, that I was still operating in 2020 mode to some extent. Doing what I had to do to survive….not really winning and making progress. I have to laugh at God’s sense of humour! He is now forcing me to write on a piece of paper again, especially work stuff. I always had lists, but my lists got lists. Things were written on little pieces of paper, post it notes, scrap paper. They were there but all over the show. Everywhere! Name it and it had a list on it!

You see, what I realised was, we are so dependent on technology to create order, that when technology fails us, we are lost. The Boxwood tree that I am felt LOST and out of control. I feel God’s Spirit pressing on my heart to just LISTEN to what He wants me to do. “Create order the way I taught you long ago” I hear the whisper in my soul. “Write it down, mark it off when done. Stay focused on what you need to do when your time to do it is there.”

Suddenly I realise WHY the song was playing around in my head this whole week. It is because God wants to make something new. He is making me new on different levels in places that I did not know I had to be fixed and made new.

He’s making you new….He is making you brand new! I hear the words turn and turn in my mind. “I know God. I understand.” is my answer. Here is to the newness being created! May God’s name be glorified always, especially in all that He has pressed on my heart to do.

Die “crash”…..
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Die “crash”…..

Ek het die crash oorleef. Nie ‘n voertuig crash of vliegtuig crash nie. Nee. My rekenaar se crash. Ja jy lees korrek – die rekenaar. Ek weet eerlik waar nie wat klink beter in Afrikaans as net plein weg crash nie….vir die tweede keer in my lewe as ‘n besigheidseienaar gebeur so iets.

Die eerste keer was 15 jaar gelede en laat ek jou vertel, ek het NIE dit hanteer soos wat ek nou dit hanteer het nie. Ek was ontsteld en het die HELE TYD gehuil! Kosbare tyd en energie vermors op goed wat BUITE my beheer was.

Die keer was anders. Dis ‘n nuwe skootrekenaar (hoe hou jy van die suiwer Afrikaans vir Laptop?), skaars 3 maande oud. Geen werkdata verloor nie, maar ander persoonlike en besigheidsdata (wat ek ewe slim besluit het om op my C: te stoor a.g.v. die sensitiwiteit van die inligting) is verlore.

Maar tog was als nie verlore nie, as dit sin maak? My e-posse is op ‘n web-gebasseerde platvorm, so ek het eintlik net BAIE OU e-posse verloor van langer as so 4 jaar terug. Laat ek eerder sê ek het nie toegang tot dit huidiglik nie. Dis seker ok want daardie inligting is nie regtig relevant nie jy weet?

Al die besigheidsdokumente is op e-pos op die web, ek moet dit net weer gaan soek en stoor soos ek altyd gedoen het. Die gapings opvul van wanneer ek die nuwe rekenaar gekry het tot nou toe. Lang en kort is, ek KAN om dit werk. Dis ‘n pyn in die nek maar dit kan gedoen word! My grootste frustrasie? Om vir 3 dae nie te kan werk nie terwyl ons data probeer afhaal van die ander rekenaar af, opstel op ‘n ander rekenaar, internet skakels van plekke wat ek gebruik vir werk probeer onthou en weer book mark op die internet, ens.

Ek vertel vir die mense wat vir ons werk, dit voel of ek ‘n nuwe werk begin het! Ek is hier, verdien ‘n salaris maar doen NIKS om by te dra om die salaris te betaal nie! Ek het omtrent verlore en magteloos gevoel, sonder enige iemand om my in ‘n rigting te stuur oor wat om te doen.

Hierdie hele week speel daar ‘n liedjie in my kop. Matthew West se Brand New. Ek kon nie verstaan WAT God vir my probeer vertel met die liedjie nie? As jy na die woorde luister, is dit, in my opinie, meer van toepassing op iemand wat hul lewe onlangs na Jesus gedraai het.

Diep binne in my gees voel ek die Here druk op my hart om dinge te doen waaroor ek vir so lank al bid. Dinge wat Hy sê MOET gebeur. Dinge waaroor ek getwyfel het oor of ek REG GEHOOR het oor wat om te doen. Hy stuur vir my 2 verse as bevestiging. Maar die een vers oorvleuel oor twee boodskappe as dit nou sin maak? Ek het 3 verskillende boodskappe by verskillende mense gekry en een van die boodskappe, toevallig die tweede een, het beide verse in gehad.

Toe ek besef wat besig was om te gebeur met die rekenaar, begin ek bid. Ek salf die ding. Ek bind die werke van die vyand, want ek het gedink dit was hy wat my probeer keer om te doen wat die Here op my hart gelê het om te doen. Ek het net nie die knoffel gebruik om die vampiere weg te hou nie (soos wat sommige mites mense probeer wysmaak)…..ek was gefrustreerd maar kalm op dieselfde tyd. Ek was nog nooit so kalm oor iets voorheen in my lewe soos wat ek die week was nie. Onthou nou – die is ‘n GROOT ding – dis my WERK LEWE wat in rookwalms opgaan voel dit vir my!

Maar, hoe meer ek oor dit dink, hoe meer besef ek dat God toegelaat het dat dit gebeur! Hy het orde vir my kom skep, want Hy het gesien ek kry dit nie reg nie! Jy sien, ek het hierdie sisteem op Outlook gehad. Dit het fantasties vir my gewerk, of so het ek gedink. Maar daardie sisteem was eintlik besig om my in die grond in te boor wat veroorsaak het dat ek nie effektief kon funksioneer nie.

Ek het steeds meerderheid van die tyd oorweldig gevoel en in ‘n dwaal….ek het steeds gehandel soos ek gedoen het in 2020 tot ‘n mindere mate. Gedoen wat ek moes om te oorleef maar nie regtig mylpale gehaal en vordering gemaak nie! Ek moet sê ek geniet nogal die Here se sin vir humor! Hy forseer my nou om op papier te skryf, veral werksgoed….ek het voorheen lysies gemaak. Maar my lysies het lysies begin kry en dit was net oral….op klein papiertjies, post it notes, ou papier. Noem dit en dit het ‘n lysie van een of ander aard op gehad!

Jy sien, wat ek besef het was, ons is so afhanklik van tegnologie om orde te skep en wanneer tegnologie ons faal, dan is ons verlore. Die Sierboom wat ek is het VERLORE gevoel en buite beheer. Ek voel hoe die Here se Gees op my hart druk om net te LUISTER wat Hy wil hê ek moet doen. “Skep orde op die manier hoe ek jou geleer het, lank terug reeds.” hoor ek die fluistering in my siel. “Skryf dit neer, merk dit af as dit klaar is. Bly gefokus op wat jy moet doen wanneer dit tyd is om die taak te doen.”

Skielik besef ek HOEKOM die liedjie die heeltyd in my kop maal hierdie week. Dis omdat God iets nuuts wil doen. Hy is besig om my te vernuwe op verskillende vlakke wat ek nie geweet het verbetering en vernuwing nodig het nie.

He’s making you new….He is making you brand new! Hoor ek die woorde draai en draai in my gedagtes. “Ek weet Here. Ek verstaan.” is my antwoord. Hier is op die vernuwing wat besig is om te gebeur! Mag God se naam ALTYD verheerlik word, veral dit wat Hy op my hart druk om te doen.

The crash…