Changes in the Wind

I have an eerie feeling that changes are in the wind for me this year. I have felt this way before. I'm talking about times when I pray for something and it doesn't go my way and I don't like the way it is going. I am a creature of habit, a slave to routine. I hate change. I resist it. God knows that and sometimes he has to push me, hard, to do what he knows is best for me.

One such change happened today. I had a computer repair guy come over and I told him (remember those words, "I told him") that I wanted a CMOS battery and more RAM and my video card updated and my Start Up setup cleaned up and some other stuff that is minor for them but a pain for me. I used to be able to do those things in the old DOS days but Windows freaks me out.

Anyhow, turns out I didn't need a new CMOS battery (something else is causing my date/time to freeze when I turn the PC off at night and I have to manually reset it each morning). Turns out that more RAM would cost as much as a new PC because my system is so old that it would be hard to find the right RAM chips for it. Turns out that they do not even offer an update to my old video card. Bottom line (you must see it by now, quicker than I did)? I need a new PC. I'm not happy with having to put out the money after just shelling out money for a new washer and dryer this month. But, if I don't, everything will surely go flooey just when I don't want it to.

So, my "nephew" and I talked and we agreed it is time and while he is working, we need to put the money aside each day out of his tips and get it as fast as we can.

We're doing the same thing with the old van that has an inch of combo litter-and-motor-oil on the driveway. We need to downsize to an smaller 4-door sedan with a good trunk but we need to cut the deal with a small lot (we have lousy credit) for a monthly payment we can afford.

The whole thing is, I think God is pushing me to do whatever I need to do, cash-outlay-wise, while we have it. The PC will last another 5 years or more if I get a new one; likewise, the car.

I remember the story in the Bible about the 7 lean years and the 7 fat years. This isn't exactly a fat year, the way I would like it to be, but it seems like God wants us to prepare for possible lean years. I refuse to think about those in detail, but I'll let him guide me towards what I have to do, whether I like it or not. I have a lot of de-cluttering to do in this place and the new washer and dryer are already hard at work, cleaning whole cartons of clothes and things that I must give away. I tried resisting the need to get them as long as I could and finally had to give in when the washer began growling and the dryer was thunking. I don't want to wait that long on both the car and the PC.

Father, thank you for softening my heart and guiding me to accept what must be; help me to make the best of these changes that I am resisting, and make the path easy for me to follow.