Guest Column - John Wellsman

Computer Programming and Obedience to God



More than thirty years ago a course in computer programming provided much food for thought on obedience to God.  It seems that computers require very specific commands in a very specific and absolutely perfect format to perform their amazing feats.  We learned very quickly that even a simple program to get the computer to print out, "Hi, my name is John" which could be done in a dozen or so lines of instructions had to be absolutely perfectly entered.  Even the transposition of one word or letter or the omission of a single period could cause the computer to have a complete fit and print out literally hundreds of pages--yes, pages--of error messages.  Most "error" messages would refer to lines or instructions which were absolutely perfect in and of themselves but because of another simple error or omission they appeared to the computer to be either "unexpected" or erroneous.  We learned quickly to go directly to our coded instructions and proofread them VERY carefully rather than try to sort through the volumes of error messages.

It was while proofreading one of these programs that I began to think of how similar this was to being obedient to God's commands.  Our heavenly Father while loving and forgiving is also exacting.  There are no shortcuts or room for error in following His commands.  Ignoring or purposely violating divine directives can quite literally destroy one's human life as many can attest.  For example, in attempting to unwind one's snarls through the application of prayer one may find the "still, small voice" directing a certain course of action but resist through a false sense of pride or self-justification or some other human emotion--all the while trying to remove what may be a myriad of physical or emotional symptoms through prayer.  In such cases one might even be tempted to think that prayer isn't effective in solving physical problems.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The experience of a dear friend some years ago comes to thought.  This friend experienced a sudden loss of hearing at one point in his life.  The impairment of his hearing was of course extremely frustrating for the individual.  He sought the prayerful help of a Christian Science practitioner but initially received no immediate relief.  During this time the individual had been trying to decide on the purchase of a new car.  He had visited every auto dealership for miles around his home several times but had not been able to make a final choice.  Cost was not an issue as several vehicles were available within the individual's means.  He simply had been unwilling to make a commitment to action.  One day he realized that he indeed had more than enough information to make a decision and as he reached out for divine guidance in this simple situation, a course of action unfolded in his thought and he followed the steps indicated.  By the time the purchase of the new vehicle was completed shortly thereafter, the individual was enjoying completely normal hearing.  Obedience and willingness to listen and follow God's directions faithfully brought the quick healing--as it always does.