An iPod Restored

I am not a computer person.
That is my oldest daughter’s department.
She is a web designer and knows all the ins and outs of computer things.
I am often her student.

She designed my website for the daily devotional I write.
She designed the cover of my two books.
She can explain anything to me in ways that I can understand.
She is my go-to person.

My husband just bought me a new laptop.
She came over for dinner last week and transferred everything over for me.
She makes it look so easy.
The technical side of computers is Greek to me but second nature to her.

I sent her a text.
It was more of a call for help.
I was putting new music on my iPod, which I have done hundreds of times before.
This was the first time I connected my iPod to my new laptop.

There should have been no learning curve.
This should have been done like I have done hundreds of times before.
An Apple iPod connected to Mac Book Pro should be easy.
Something was different; the eject button was not visible at first.

I know that you must disconnect your iPod safely.
I thought I did.
When I looked at my iPod, I saw the dreaded words: NO MUSIC.
You cannot imagine the way I felt when I saw those words.

NO MUSIC.
12,676 songs lost in cyber space.
Years of music gone in an instant.
Then I remembered my daughter’s admonition: Don’t worry. Nothing is ever lost.

She may know all the hidden places to look but I don’t.
Nothing is ever lost.
You can always find it.
So I took a deep breath and restored my iPod.

Not once.
Not twice.
But three times before I found where my music was hiding.
In reality, it was not hiding, it just needed to be retrieved.

So the word that I needed to click on was SYNC.
Sync my music from my computer to my iPod.
I went through all the prompts.
Then I saw the numbers start to move.

Copying 1 of 12,676 and so it began.
What was empty and void of music is now in the process of being restored.
Soon I will be able to plug my iPod into my car jack and listen as I drive.
All that music from all those years will be at my fingertips again.

The warning I got when all of this began was that my iPod was corrupted.
That was a disconcerting thought.
If it was indeed corrupted then would plugging it into my new laptop present a problem?
I didn’t want the problem to be transferred.

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain and His disciples and a large crowd went along with Him. As He approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her, and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the coffin and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help His people.” The news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. (Luke 7:11-17)

In that culture, Jewish people would never touch a dead body.
Doing so would render them unclean.
In their mind, some kind of transfer took place.
If they were unclean, they could not participate in temple life until they were clean again.

None of that mattered to Jesus.
He saw a widow who had lost her only son.
He did not allow the cultural norms of the day to affect Him.
He knew that the real enemy was death; and He had come to destroy it.

Imagine the sight.
Jesus walking into the town with His disciples
The widow and people from the town walking out of the town on the way to bury her only son.
The two groups meet right there at the town gate.

Jesus’ heart went out to the widow.
He knew that she had no visible means of support.
She had no one to take care of her.
Jesus cared about her and her situation.

Jesus reached out His hand.
He touched the dead man and commanded him to get up.
The young man responded to the call of Jesus.
The young man got up and began to talk and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

A transfer did take place.
However it was not the kind of transfer that the Jewish people expected.
Jesus did not become unclean because He touched a dead body.
The transfer that happened was much more significant.

The young man who was once dead was now alive.
The young man went from death to life.
Only Jesus could complete that transfer successfully.
Only Jesus could take what was dead and bring it back to life.

Only Jesus.
He did it then.
He does it now.
He is still calling for us to, get up!

Jesus is still expecting the grave clothes to be removed and for us to walk on with Him.
Jesus is still expecting us to get up and begin to talk about all He has done for us.
We cannot run away from His call.
We must respond.

A successful transfer is about to take place.
A transfer from death to life.
Get up!
Nothing is ever lost or beyond the touch of Jesus.