Dear MacBook, Thank you.

I’ve always had a good relationship with my Apple products. Let’s be honest, it’s probably love considering I have an Apple sticker on my jeep and my MacBook and iPhone are almost always resting on the pillow beside me when I fall asleep. I always appreciate how these products make my life a bit easier, but today was the first day that my MacBook actually inspired me to embrace the day a bit more than usual.

Yesterday I had to replace my MacBook battery because it kept unexpectedly dying at 50%. As my friend was helping me replace the old battery with the new one, he gave me this bit of advice:

“It actually works better and has a longer life if you let it get down to almost zero before recharging.”

Now, I guess this makes sense, but I quickly discovered that I have a hard time letting the percentage left in the battery get so close to zero. As soon as I saw that little number in the top of my screen go below 50 percent, I wanted to go grab the cord and start charging it back up again. And when it hit the red line of 20 percent, the temptation was even stronger. I had no reason to charge it, it was still working perfectly and there is an outlet at my disposal about every 10 feet. But I kept thinking, “What if I need that power later, I should get it back up to 100% now.”

Then I’d think of my friend’s advice: that what was best for the battery was to let it get to almost zero and that my computer is even smart enough to tell me when I need to charge it with a pop-up window. But I still had this urge to charge it pre-maturely until I pictured the dead battery now buried in my drawer and remembered something:

By trying to preserve charge for some unknown time I was actually making the battery lose its life faster.

And then it hit me. How often do I do this in my own life?

How often am I trying to save up something or hold on to something too much “just in case?” Or because it makes me more comfortable? And what am I missing out on or sucking the life out of prematurely with this approach?

I too often get so caught up in planning out tomorrow and deciding what I think I’ll need for then, that I forget to just enjoy today. It’s so easy to miss out on what’s right in front of me because I’m distracted by thoughts about what I might need if that happens. Instead, shouldn’t I just trust and be thankful for what I have in the moment?

And funny thing. Isn’t that how God designed life for us and what He reminds us of over and over again in Scriptures? He designed a natural rhythm for our lives. Twenty-four hour intervals to go about our daily activities and then rest.

And He’s told us not to worry about tomorrow because each day has enough troubles and worries of its own. And that His mercies are new each morning.

He doesn’t want us worrying or storing things up for the next day, He just wants us to enjoy what He’s placed before us and then asks us to trust Him for the rest. We don’t have to keep our eye on that percentage of fullness like I was doing with my battery. We have His promises that He will provide plenty for each day and the promise that He will always recharge & prepare us for the next day. Why do I always forget this?

You know what? I’m glad I had to get a new battery for my MacBook. Because now each time I see that battery number creep towards zero percent, I hope I’ll remember that I’ve been given the gift of today. And it is enough.


(Matt. 6:34; Lam. 3:22,23; Proverbs 3:5,6)