Kaycia Walker

Imagine being in a laboratory beyond the clouds. You look to your left and see the scientist/manufacturer responsible for all the activity taking place within the lab. He hovers over something you cannot readily identify and is so focused that your presence does not shift his attention. He intricately wires and connects all the parts, paying keen and precise attention to detail. You observe him closely and notice his eyes glistening with excitement as he tries to contain himself. He thinks aloud as he scurries over to the monitors, “The environment is going to keep changing.” He pauses, as though in deep thought. Aha! His face lights up once more and he laughs aloud in excitement.

He continues, “To remain relevant and functional I will need to schedule updates!”

You watch his fingers move at lightning speed across the keyboards and the plain-looking motherboard begins to buzz, revealing colors blue, red, green, and gold. You look on in worry as it appears as though it is about to explode but surprisingly, it withstands the pressure. He knows he’s creating a masterpiece. Something that no one has ever seen before and he’s proud of what he is producing.

As he adds the finishing touches, you hear him muttering, “There! Now you have everything you need to function at your highest ability”.

Curious to see what it is that the scientist has been working on you inch closer and you notice him holding what appears to be a central processing unit that he proceeds to install a motherboard within. From where you’re standing you cannot understand why he seems so happy. It’s just an ordinary CPU. Surely, you’ve seen many like that before so what makes this one different? You watch him with a raised eyebrow and a questioning look on your face as you silently begin to question his actions.

You watch him scurrying across the room before neatly packaging the product. Much to your surprise as far as the eyes could see are millions of other CPUs and motherboards stacked on shelves waiting to be packaged and shipped. You inch closer to make the astonishing discovery that all the markings and wirings on each unit are different! How did he do this? How is it possible that none are exactly alike? What are they for?

The scientist/manufacturer hurries into another room that appears to be isolated from the rest of the lab and you follow him closely. Inside this room are billions of casings of all different colors, shapes, and sizes. He meticulously glides his right pointer finger along the side of the casings before selecting one. Within it, he houses the CPU, motherboard, and battery that he had been working so tirelessly to create before wrapping it neatly in its package and shipping it to its new home.

You’ve Got Mail

The Amazon delivery guy receives the package and travels with it across the country before delivering it to the doorsteps of the anxious recipient. The excited receiver visciuosly rips the package open, barely able to contain her delight and immediately begins making adjustments to the setting of the device. She customizes the wallpaper so it looks more girly, changes the ringtone, adjusts the equalizer settings, changes the theme, and so on.

Because the device was new, it was handled with much care. However, as time passed you notice the owners treating it with little to no respect. The device has knicks and dents, the screen is now cracked causing the ink to leave a permanent dark line across the wallpaper. Though still functional, it now has glitches due largely in part to the wear and tear but also because it is now overcrowded with apps that are consistently running in the background. This puts tremendous pressure on the processing system and the device starts to lag. The owner now considers replacing the unit as it she now thinks the gadget has become useless.

Does this story sound a bit familiar to you? The gadget in this story is you and me. We are a masterpiece created by the Creator who placed all we need to be our best selves. Embedded within our heart/mind are all we need to be successful in this life. However, along the way we’ve been ‘handled’ by life, experiences, and people. We’ve also been ‘handled’ by ourselves. Life deals us some very hard blows and so we got a dent here and there, people dropped us, said things about us that hurt to our very core and we ended up with a cracked lens, we have experienced failure so we self-sabotage believing we’re not enough. The fire that once burned within revealing a spark in our hopeful eyes went out, and all that appears to be left is an empty hollow space where life once was. All because we have been handled.

The Breakdown

What if I told you that the Creator (the manufacturer) already knew all this would happen before you were packaged and shipped to your location? And though you may be feeling like nothing makes sense right now because you don’t even feel like yourself anymore that’s only because your settings have been customized. The insecurities you feel are not who you really are. Who told you you were not enough? Who told you your dream is impossible? Who told you you’re a mistake? Who told you? And when did you start believing? What you’re experiencing is customization. Life, circumstances, people, and you have helped to customize you but the core of who you are is still within. Yes, the core of who you were really created to be, a brave, bold, fearless winner and world changer is still within your CPU. All that you need to do is to factory reset. Go back to the Creator. He knows the purpose for which you were created. He knows the updates needed and all the downloads that need to be deleted because some of them took with them bugs causing viruses.

Let Us Factory Reset From:

• the opinions of people.
• other imposed and self-imposed limitations.
• limiting beliefs.
• negative self-talk.
• not pursuing your dreams!
• putting a hold on your dreams.
• making excuses.
• trying to fit in.
• needing the approval of others.
• Factory reset from “smalling up yuhself!”

I caution you, however, not to think that this is something we only need to do once. As long as we are alive we will be continuously handled which means we will have to experience a reset from time to time and that’s okay. Just remember that you won’t have to do it alone. Factory reset, reboot, and reignite to conquer because all that you need is already within you.