I woke up this morning to a world that is still dealing with the massive fallout of the global IT outage as I move into the second-day of what is considered the worst technical disaster/catastrophe of our modern times. As a considered industry expert and thought-leader by others, I have been up late last night following the news updates, while also trying to answer questions from various news outlets about the key importance of QC and QA, and what we need to pay more attention to it and invest more time and resources into those areas of work.

As distracted and important as addressing this global IT outage is, I still want to continue maintaining my own commitment and dedication to my daily bread routine by putting God first in my life. I will have the rest of the day to speak to other outlets and business leaders and answering their most pressing questions on what to do next. For now, I want to focus on the Bible for the next 10-15 minutes.

²² that you off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24 [NKJV]

Reading the bible passage this morning, I was constantly reminded that to be Christian also means making that consistent daily effort to keep living this new life that Christ has given us. It is about learning every single day to focus on making that small, tiny progress every single day.

It can sometimes feel discouraging when we try to measure our own progress and growth on a day-to-day basis. It can reach a point where we wonder what’s the point of all the effort. I know what it is like because there are days when I could feel like I am trying to hard and given 1000% effort, and yet when I look at the day before, or the week before and I feel like I’ve only taken a very small step forward.

But here’s the truth. When we are in the thick of things, it can be quite difficult to see the entire forest (figure of speech). It is usually only in hindsight (after a very long time) that we can truly make sense of all the effort, personal struggles and sacrifices. It is in hindsight that we begin to understand the point of it all. That is also usually when we begin to really appreciate what we have had to go through in order to reach where we are.

I am constantly reminded of the painful and sacrifices I had to endure for the last few years before I got to my current juncture. It doesn’t mean that I have arrived though. I know that this is more about the journey and process than it is about the destination. After everything that I’ve experienced, I’ve developed a very different mentality about my own personal growth and journey. I know that I will forever be in this state of “constantly arriving”.

What about those of us that are still currently facing and undergoing the worst challenge and period of our lives? I kinda imagine this is what those folks at CrowdStrike must be going through today. This weekend and the coming weeks are going to be some of the worst times for them. And some of them might even be affected by this for a very long time.

My thoughts is to focus on making small, tiny positive progress everyday. Just focus on doing a little better each day. It might not feel like much today, but it will eventually get better. It won’t happen overnight for sure, maybe not in weeks or months. But it will…eventually become better.

Personal Prayer for Today

Father God,

Thank You for everything that You have put me through in my tech career. If last night was any kind of indication, I’ve realized that You have allowed me to go through all those struggles and personal mistakes and failures so that I could one day provide that insight and foresight for others that are suffering through the worst IT outage of our modern times.

Drawing upon my years of experiences and struggles, I’ve come to understand today that there is always a purpose for everything that You allow us to go through. I also know that when we are in the midst of our worst days and challenges in life, it can be hard to see the point of it all. I know that there will be days when our progress seems to feel so insignificant.

Thank You for once again reminding me that we need to be understanding and patient with our own growth and progress on a daily basis. Because of everything I’ve been through, I am also more empathetic to those that might be going through the worst days of their lives and career right now.

As I continue with my work day, and I continue to speak to others around the world regarding this IT outage that continue to have profound ripple effects all over, I trust and believe that You have already blessed me with all the wisdom and the right words to say.

I vow to give You all of the praise and all of the glory. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.