Try the Phone – Day 4 of 40

Armodoxy for Today: Try the phone – Day 4

Your phone is acting up. You’re trying to run an app and it’s not responding. Press on it and nothing. No response. You remember that earlier it was running painstakingly slowly. You are frustrated and adding to your frustration is the fact that you can’t get off the screen! Swipe, push, you’re ready to tap it on the table, as you would do to old mechanical devices if they malfunctioned, but you’re not ready to risk cracking the screen. Should you call tech support? Well, you would except that your phone is locked up and you can’t make a call. You open your laptop to Google a fix. Just then your kid comes by and asks why you’re pounding on the keyboard. You look up and you don’t lose it but you’re also ready to dismiss his question with a shrug, but you go ahead and mention that your phone is locked and isn’t functioning. Your kid reaches over, pushes the two buttons and suddenly the screen goes blank. You panic. Is the phone broken? He looks at you and tells you to wait 30 seconds and restart the phone. You wait, you do and within a minute you’re up an running with speed and ease that reminds you of the day you got your new phone.

It’s called a reset. After a while your phone gets cluttered with junk from apps, ads and emails. Resetting cleans out the junk. Restarting is a new start.

I’m not giving you tech advice today, merely making the analogy to the Lenten period. With the beginning of Lent you’ve turned off your phone. The days of Lent what you’re in now, are the 30 second wait period and on Easter Sunday, you’re going to turn life on again.

Your act of charity today is geared toward yourself. Turn off your phone. Wait a while and turn it back on. You now have a reset phone.

Try a spinach salad with passion fruit dressing and maple-glazed almonds. The recipe is at the bottom of this page.

We pray, “Lord, I thank you for the gift of forgiveness. Knowing you forgive sins and your forgiveness is complete, I reset my life and thank you for the opportunity to start anew. Amen.”

Lenten Recipes by Deacon Varoujan: Recipe 4: Spinach Salad with Passionfruit Dressing and Maple-Glazed Almonds