Auto-Correct

Auto-Correct

“Be home soon!” exclaimed a simple text I sent my wife last week.  Or did it?  Later I discovered the auto-correct had hijacked my well-crafted script, amending it to read: “Be Oleg snow!”

Seriously?!  Hey, I realize my unwieldy digits don’t grace the screen like a tech-savvy teen, but… Oleg??  Who decided this would be a good choice to add to the pool of possibilities?  Should I anticipate Sergei, Yuri and Igor will soon make an appearance as well?

I wish there was a feature to remove unwanted words like this from my phone -- ones that should never be in there in the first place.  In a similar way, have you ever wished that you could deprogram all the useless words or thoughts from your brain?   Inappropriate worldly language you’ve heard… or unfitting imagery from TV or movies you’ve seen in the past.  These things can come to mind at the strangest times, and they can ruin a worshipful moment, or leave you feeling disappointed in yourself. Sometimes worldliness is difficult to avoid.  But more often than we’d like to admit, we can probably separate our thoughts and actions from a large part of the secular nonsense.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

Before we go out with a certain friend… or choose a particular TV channel… or click on another link on the web… let’s ask ourselves this simple question:  "Will the person, program, or webpage I'm about to spend time with build me up spiritually -- or at least encourage me mentally, emotionally or physically?"  If not, then really, what’s the point?

Unlike the auto-correct on our phones, we can control most of the possibilities in our lives.  We can avoid much of the behavior and customs of the world.  So let’s program our minds in wise and godly ways!

- Ron Reid