“Some people think they are doing right, but in the end it leads to death.” – Proverbs 14:12
“Simpler solutions are more likely to be correct than complex ones.” – A version of Ockham’s Razor
Had a challenge with our kiosk computers and how they printed labels three weekends in a row. I worked on it for a few hours on a Saturday, a Sunday, and a few days of another week. It seemed a solution would present itself and then just as quickly be proven wrong within an hour or so.
Each time I tried a different combination of software changes I thought I would get a little closer and then they would all seem to ‘break’ again.
All of us, including the technicians of the main company, were certain it was a technical challenge for which we would find the answer through trial and error.
I was SO to the point of too much error when I took a break from my most recent attempt at reinstalling an older version of a driver for the printers. In the restroom, at the sink, I placed both my hands on the counter to bolster my own resolve, bowed my head and prayed to God. I stayed there until I felt I was done and God had heard me and returned to the checkin counter to attempt another volley of possibilities.
When you have a technical issue, you call a technician and they solve the challenge from a technical perspective, right?
I called into the company to speak to one of the technicians who was helping me and bounce off of them the direction I was thinking to take next and the receptionist who answered asked me what the challenge was so she could direct me to the right individual.
I squelched my ‘hunt and kill’ instinct, thinking in my head I already knew who I needed to talk to and ask her to pass me on to him, and described to her the challenge.
“Hm.” she said. “What printer are you using?”
I told her.
“Oh, yeah. That’s the one that has to have those little holes on the left of the label for it to be read correctly. Have you checked the labels to see if you may have gotten the wrong ones or a bad batch?”
…
…
When you have a technical issue, you call a technician and they solve the challenge from a technical perspective, right?
Labels are not technical.
All of a sudden, flashbacks of each machine that ‘broke’ was preceded by a memory of someone changing out the roll of labels with a new one at some point before it stopped working correctly.
With the receptionist still on the phone, I reached over and lifted the lid of the nearest printer and saw within a few labels that there were some of the labels that had not been completely punched through. There were some that barely had the outline of where the punch should have gone through and there were others where the hole was just as it was supposed to be, punched through so the light in the printer could indicate the end of one label and the beginning of another.
I expressed my gratitude to the woman on the line and proceeded to gently hang up the phone as carefully as I could as my hand began to shake, just a little.
In each and every ‘broken’ printer was a roll of the new batch of labels.
For a moment I just sat there with the lid to the nearest printer open as I considered the verse and the adage above.
Then, I recalled the moment alone with the Lord and how quickly, right after I had prayed, I made this call to this particular receptionist who had clearly dealt with this issue before.
From my devotions this morning:
“If you go to him for help, you will get an answer.” – 1 Chronicles 28:9
