Jesus taught in parables, lessons about God told through common human experiences. I suspect that if Jesus were a contemporary, bones and flesh man today he would use computers as an inspiration for parables. How could he not? We hardly breathe without searching the web, consulting our IPhone app, sending an email, or scrolling over our digital calendar. A parable about the computer might go something like this.
God created mankind equipped with amazing super computers in our heads that we call our brains. These computers come pre-programed with software that allows us to learn, communicate, perceive, create, solve problems, and even heal. When we are born, the computer programs are already there, but we don’t know how to use them, so we hunt and peck on the mental keyboard trying to figure out even the most elementary things. When this works we learn.
As we get older the Bibles and philosophies of the world are available as user manuals to help us navigate our computers. Some of these user manuals are better than others. We have all read computer user manuals that supposedly were written in English, but only a nerd could understand. They are written in some foreign computer language that make us want to pull our hair out. If you really want to understand your God-given software you need to pick a tried and true guide like the Holy Bible.
Spiritual computers also come equipped with modems. From the start we begin to use these built-in modems to connect with networks. This is like connecting with people through eye contact and touch, then later in life through language, empathy, compassion, and sexual energy.
Most people at some point in their lives use their modem to connect with the spiritual internet or God-Net. When we avail ourselves of this enhanced capacity, we have what most Christians call a salvation experience, a dynamic, life enhancing awareness of spiritual possibilities. Before finding the God-Net, many people have become so frustrated with their computers they are ready to give up. But when we do connect to the God-Net, Wow! It all makes sense. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we discover that what we needed to make our brain-computer work was available all along, but we didn’t know it.
Children of today seem to be born with a special ability to use computers. Some may never have a single WOW experience like older folks do because they grew up with computers and can’t remember a time when they weren’t connected. This is like those people who are introduced to a loving God by their parents at an early age. They may not remember a time that they were not connected to the God-net.
Our God-Net is filled with amazing, limitless, positive God energy. God designed our bodies and minds to heal, and this healing can happen even if we don’t connect to the spiritual internet, but when we do tap into that energy, the healing can be bountiful. Like our worldly internet, the possibilities are limitless and can be overwhelming. We therefore need search engines to help us find our way around. Instead of Google or FireFox, we have Bibles, teachers, preachers, counselors and authors to help us negotiate our way. Again some of these search engines are better than others and we have to try them out to see if they function. Functioning search engines will not only make us feel good in the short term, but they will help us grow, meet our long term needs, and help us have positive interactions with others.
The biggest problem in navigating this spiritual internet is that it is also cluttered with negative energy, which most people call Satan. This evil energy invades on our screen like unwanted pop ups and spam which we may try to delete, but at times we accidently or deliberately open up one of these Satan traps which results in serious computer viruses that cause distractions, sap our energy and resources, or even shut us down completely. Often we don’t even realize that we have opened ourselves up to these viruses until a great deal of damage is done.
Negative energy can attack when our spiritual computer system gets weak because of illness, tragedy, abuse, substance abuse, or just spiritual laziness. In these times of weakness, the popups may infiltrate our conscious or unconscious thoughts with doubts and fears. These doubts may be about our own capabilities, or they may be doubts about God’s availability to meet our needs.
At times it can be baffling to know whether a person, philosophy or religion is rooted in negative Satin energy or in Positive God energy. I have called for computer tech support from some fake and sometimes expensive experts who wasted my day and never provided any results. Jesus warned us of spiritual charlatans. They can be like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, masquerading as a messenger of God. Jesus said “You will know them by their works”.
The best way to protect ourselves from Satin’s viruses and temptations is to immerse ourselves in the positive God energy which can serve like pop-up-blockers. We also have to create a list of blocked terms, people, and blocked web sites to protect ourselves. We might also need to back up our data so it will not be lost in case of a crisis or theft. Backup resources are those people, churches, counselors or organizations which are there to nurture us, keep us on track, and hold us accountable.
Somewhere in the ICloud is the Holy Spirit, nudging us along, whispering in our ear, and helping us meet our spiritual goals. The journey into the spiritual internet can be difficult and confusing but oh so rewarding. It is like love. We can live without it, but at what cost.