The new iPhone 6 and 6+ have been out for a couple of weeks and here’s what we know:
– They’re bigger
– They’re faster
– They’re BENDing! (clearly not meant to be a feature)
Every news outlet has been covering it.
“iPhone 6 is bending in people’s pockets.”
“Phone isn’t made to last week.”
“I only had it in my front pocket driving and now it’s ruined.”
Twitter, Facebook, and the rest of social media have blown up deeming #bendgate the worst possible thing to happen to Apple and their new flagship device since #attenagate with the iPhone 4. You would think by the media coverage that this was earth shattering stuff. That a pandemic was happening. Every owner of the phone everywhere was in a total outrage, storming the store doors and demanding it be replaced or have their money refunded. I’m sure you’ve seen the lines at your local cell phone or Apple store right? Disgruntled consumers waiting to get their new iDevices fixed… right?
Wrong.
You want to know how many people this happened to and was reported to Apple?
Nine.
Nine people.
Out of over 4,000,000 people around the world who bought the device, 9 had an issue with bending.
How did 9 out of 4 million become worldwide news?
Why are we even hearing about this?
We shouldn’t believe the hype. A few people had issues and we think it’s widespread and believe every word of it.
But, when it comes to our lives and this journey with God, we tend to believe the same sort of thing…
You fall short > immediately you’re a failure.
Bad parenting day > my kids are ruined.
Lose your cool > no way God can forgive this.
Do something dishonest > no one will ever trust me.
Hurt a friend > I’m the worst friend ever.
A friend has a hurting marriage > marriage isn’t worth it anymore.
Co-worker is mean to you > everyone is so hurtful these days.
We jump to absolutes when it usually isn’t even the norm. Most often it’s an anomaly and we’re forcing it to be the case for everyone. Truth is, you’re not a failure, you just happened to fail a few times. Shake off the dust and keep moving because God is walking this out with you. You’re not a bad parent, you had a scenario where you didn’t parent the way you should in that moment. Go back and apologize to your kids, it will blow their minds and create an even deeper bond of love. Your friend’s marriage may be hurting, but I could point to dozens more that are thriving (and by the way, theirs can heal and thrive too, I’ve witnessed it over and over again). You hurt a friend without thinking about it, but you’re a good friend who made a mistake and needs to apologize and make it right.
And, while we’re at it, Believe The Best about yourself and those around you.
It’s easy to believe the hype.
But hype tells us that 9 out of 4 million is the majority.
It’s not.
And while you may fall, fail and hurt at times - God views you through the lens of His son, Jesus. When we become followers of Jesus, all of our sins, past, present and future are separated as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). We are a new creation, the old is gone and we are made new.
Don’t believe the hype.
Instead, believe the best.
