Restore to Original Factory Settings

Have you ever found yourself wishing for a do-over?  Like maybe if you could go back in time, you could do a few things better and eliminate some unwanted consequences.  Given some of the challenges of this past year, I found myself entertaining the notion of a do-over.  Well, I just got one.  Though not exactly what I had in mind.  Due to factors far beyond my ability to comprehend, a standard update to my iPhone became instead, a “restore to original factory settings.”  Given my prior ineptness at “synching,”  I got an iPhone do-over.  Translation: I lost all my contacts, notes, aps, photos, and calendar appointments.  I get to start ALL over.

As I sit here re-entering contacts, tracking down important photos, RE-recording voice mail, setting up Facebook and email and... (trust me, the list goes on and on),  I can’t help but wonder.  When it comes to life do-overs, do I really want one, even if I could have one? As it turns out, in a do-over, you don’t necessarily get to pick and choose.  You do it ALL over.  And as I’m discovering, doing it ALL over is a BUNCH of hard work.  I think when I say I want a do-over, what I really want is to do over only those things that have left me in a lurch and retain those things in my life that have wrought positive consequences.  Using a parade metaphor, it seems as though I wish I could have the ponies but not the crap.

As I approach the New Year and the chance to make my own fresh starts, I confess that in spite of overwhelming evidence to the fantasy nature of my wish, it still remains somewhat intact.  I would like to eliminate all discomfort AND keep all the good stuff.  I would wish the same for you, too. However, I’m coming to terms with the fact that life is a mixture of a lot of things, and it’s kind of a package deal.  Settling into this place of acceptance, I’ve begun to wonder, if I can’t have a pick and choose do-over then what can I have?

Instead of living with a sense of regret, I can ask God for the grace to learn all that He has for me in life’s challenges.  There is redemption to be found in our struggles as we embrace wisdom and new insights.  I can ask God for mercy to sustain me when things get extra tough.  I can pursue gratitude as I ask God to give me eyes to see beyond my challenges and to truly appreciate the countless gifts in my life.  I can be generous with myself.  I guess it’s ok and probably even better  to recognize and even celebrate what I feel I have done well.   If I allow myself to be honest, beyond my Mr. Bean moments, my life is also marked by goodness.  Decisions I’ve made that have brought wonderful things into my life.

And so for now, this is where I land.  As we all settle in to 2011, may you know the extravagant mercy of God which redeems, sustains, and forgives.  Blessings to you as you move forward in the New Year.

P.S. And if you have an iPhone, for heaven's sake, learn how to synch!!