Who Rules Your Heart?

I finished my volunteer artwork for the pro-life fund raiser...finally. It took much of the day, after church. And then I discovered that my phone had replicated my contacts list multiple times. Some contacts were copied as much as ten times. Thus, I had a few thousand contacts when in reality, I only have a few hundred. I called Apple Care.

Apple Care is the best customer service in the world. They are clearly trained as follows:
OK repeat after me, trainees -- the customer is always right.
Even when the customer is a flaming idiot.
Which all customers are.
Treat them like they do not have the intellect of an amoeba.
Always tell them, "That must have been so frustrating for you," when what you really want to say is, "Check your hands to see if you have opposable thumbs because I am thinking you got stuck in the evolutionary progression from moron to human."

Despite their extensive training in not making you feel like an idiot when you are, the Apple Care people do sometimes get exasperated with me. The first Apple Care helper had to get his manager to help me, and that wasn't even to fix my phone...that was just to figure out how to plug it into my computer. He was unfailingly polite throughout the ordeal, and I think tag-teaming with the manager was to insure he didn't launch a nuclear weapon on my home to end the phone call.
"Why is my phone replicating my contacts all by itself?" I asked the manager, after we successfully got the phone synched to my computer.
"We don't know the answer to that," said Apple Care, "But I am sure it is frustrating for you."
"You bet it is!" I replied, "So how will you fix it?"
"Well, we can't...but we are sure it is frustrating for you."

In the end, I had to delete, one by one, all 4,000 replicated contacts. This took most of the night, which is why I have no energy to pull out a wonderful spiritual lesson for you this morning. I will give one meager offering. Sometimes life is meaningless with stupid tasks that will tax the best of us. Nonetheless, patience and kindness to those around us when we feel least able or willing to extend it is proof that God has dominion over us. He is definitely not done working through this with me...

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Isaiah 41:10 

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 34:18 

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

John 16:33

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

1 Peter 5:7 

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:7 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.