Yes, more about viruses, but today I am not talking about Covid-19
Scanning my computer drives for viruses is something that is required frequently. A nagging pop-up screen reminded me of this fact yesterday.
Not wanting my machine to be hacked, hijacked, or held hostage, I opened the program and hit ‘scan’. Immediately the software began to analyze my computer for harmful code.
Back in the day of floppy disks, my machine was infected. I was fortunate then. Most of my work-product was stored on these things. But it took a computer technician a few days and more than a few dollars to repair my work-station. I am exceedingly careful now, especially since the problem is more prevalent and more destructive than ever.
I read that there are “Nearly 1 million new malware threats released every day.” This article mentions that just in just the last year, more than 317 million NEW pieces of malware were created. There is even something called “LIKEjacking” on social media platforms.
I have always wondered why talented and creative programmers would desire to spend time engineering these globalized threats which can affect even the people they care about. I question the job-satisfaction-meter in their position. Is it possible that thousands of coders leave ‘the office’ at the end of a long day basking in a warm feeling of job-well-done?
I digress. The point is that protecting your PC will save you untold grief.
When Norton 360 finished its task, I closed the screen thinking little about threats as the software found no 'hidden gems’ and was not required to proceed with any quarantine. Good to go.
A couple of hours later, I thought about the pop-up and the assignment that was completed with the click of a mouse. I thought about the automation of the whole thing and compared it to daily life.
Throughout any given day, just like my PC, I am bombarded with pathogens as well. These intruders have names like hypocrisy, manipulation, jealousy, judgment, and so many more. I should also have some automatic reminders set to scan my thoughts and actions for these destructive infiltrators. I have plagues of my own but leave it to you to determine your personal vulnerabilities.
There is nothing that automates the process for us, of course. The trespassers encountered and the solution to their demise is unique to each of us.
Although there seems to be no end to these threats, we need to recognize and acknowledge that at times, we will be infected and we will succumb. We need to understand that forgiveness is ours but this fact should encourage us to make every effort to conquer these 'germs' and remain healthy in our walk with Jesus.
As stated, the 'how' is personal. There are many spiritual disciplines available. A Google search indicated 79 million pages. They're worth exploring.
I have also found that I need reminders. Nearby, I need some form of a 'post-it note' to encourage thoughtful introspection with an eye toward behavior modification.
"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:17
Struggling with protecting myself from this world of interlopers, I've written several articles about my experiments. Let me know if you have others that work for you.
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