It's just a computer!

Pet peeves. Many of us have one, if not, several. Whether it is people chewing with their mouths open, or someone taking too long to make a fast food purchase, there's always something that pushes our buttons. I guess mine is the inability of people to understand simple concepts. More specifically, computer skills. I'm sure many of you, you who are very fond and skilled on the computer, come across the problem of teaching your parents how to compute. It is not a difficult task at all, two clicks here, an enter here, drag and drop what you want and just copy then paste. But somehow these such simple concept just can't quite get it into my parents mind.

Teaching my dad how to use the Internet, let alone the computer, has proved to be a difficult task. No matter how much time I've spent on teaching him the simplest of task, he just couldn't get it. I've tried using a soft and gentle approach to teach him, and I've tried using a harder and tougher tactic to get the skills drilled into his head. No dice. For years we've been doing this sort of dance. He ask me to help him with a computer problem, I help him. Two days later the same problem arises, I get frustrated, then we argue. We've been battling like this for so long, that I become furious as soon as he mention my name with association with computer & problem. Like straws in a dry summer heat, my anger sparks like wild forest fire, engulfing every word, logic, reason and wisdom. There were even times, in which I've felt that he purposely acted ignorant just to see me rage.

Of course when my dad approached me for help, today was no different.

I raised my voice. I told him that "I've taught you a thousand times, and you've never learn. It's about time you learn a lesson. I'm not going to help recover your computer (which I gave him as a gift 4 years ago), I'm just going to let it die." But in the end, discipline, respect, morals and love drove me to go up to his room and fixed his computer. Don't get me wrong, I was still angry when I was fixing his computer. It was after I've finished my job and walking out of his room, that I've come to a realization; an epiphany. That maybe, just maybe, my dad wasn't lacking the will to, but the ability to understand computers and how they work.

As I thought more and more of this concept, I've began to realized how I was acting the same way with sin. I've never been able to grasp the concept of sin. Understand why the force of temptation and the desire for rebellion is so strong. Or that pride is so heavy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to down play sin or making it seem "okay", but have we truly understand what is sin? Sure, we know what sins are, we know that it is wrong and bad and we should do it, but we don't know why it works on us. What makes it up? Why does sin feel much sweeter than righteousness even though we know that the sting of sinning is agonizing. And perhaps that what it is, we can never understand it because we lack the ability to understand it. We lack the ability to understand why sin disgusts God. Why it He despises sin. And why He chose to love us rather than lecturing us until we get the concept. He saves us the trouble of understanding it, and, instead, gave us His Son so that we can be free from sin. Not to spend a life time figuring out why it is bad, but use that time to enjoy the good things He provides for us.

I went back to my dad's room. Hugged him. Apologized to him, and told him "You just keep using that computer anyway you want. It's okay. When you have a problem just let me know, I'll come fix it. I'm sorry, baba, for yelling at you."
'Cause in the end, that is what God did; He loved.

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Oh and my dad just smiled after I said all that. Either he thinks I'm weird or he just doesn't care and wants to get back to using his computer. Whatever, doesn't really matter.