The Cracked Acorn: Backup {protection against accidental loss or corruption.}

I remember the early morning at work that I put a floppy disk into the computer for re-formation.

The computer came back with a message, “Do you want to do this?”, I replied, “Yes!” To my horror I realized that I let the computer re-format the hard drive, it provided chuckles from my workmates and the rest of the day to correct what I had done!

What if you were a soldier on the front lines and every time you needed to fire your rifle; it misfired or if you were a parachutist, and every time you jumped from the aircraft, the main parachute failed to bloom above your head; always going to the emergency chute, barely able to reach the ground safely.

This would be pretty discouraging and eventually, we would be a jangle of nerves, living on the edge of certain failure. There’s nothing like that ‘sinking feeling’ when the old faithful family auto fails to start for the thousandth time or when one of those modern home devices fails, leaving us at mercy of the weather and a repairman we know nothing about or when he will arrive.

We don’t like to live like this and avoid it with passion. We spend extra money on transportation and comforts to make sure that they will be there when we push that button, want to travel, or just relax for a few hours.

We can repair or replace those mechanical servants, but what can we do when those intangible cords that bind us to others are cut or endangered. Many in our wonderful society are living like the soldier and the parachutist, safe for the moment but eternally in jeopardy.

One hundred years ago, who would have imagined that people today would be regularly flying from one coast of the country to the other every day. Flying is really a very safe form of transportation, more than the millions of cars on our crowded highways, and the reason is that every aircraft system has several backups that take over in component failure, in short, the pilot and airplane are well-rehearsed for all problems to ensure passenger safety.

Do you have a backup? Many today have no idea to whom they should turn to for comfort and emotional support for all those flaming arrows that come at us, the Christians. Are our lives completely covered by a backup, I hope so! Is God your pilot?

When at last I near the shore,
And the fearful breakers roar
‘Twixt me and the peaceful rest,
Then, while leaning on thy breast,
May I hear thee say to me,
“Fear not, I will pilot thee.” (WORDS: Edward Hopper, circa 1871)

addendum: Bob Nygent(ret. Federal worker) during WW2 worked at a factory, he turned out barrels for machine guns, knowing Bob, he turned out perfect ones that soldiers could depend on! (Hey Bob, “Thank You!)