There Is an App for That (06/16/2025)

Yesterday was Father’s Day and most of the family had gathered together to spend time with my husband. We went out on the porch at one point to take measurements for a railing for our front entry way. As my grandson, who will create the metal railing for me, was working with my husband to take the measurements, my daughter and I were checking out the flowers along the porch’s edge. And I spotted something unusual. I pointed it out to my daughter, questioning what it was. And she told me there’s an app for that.

I laughed and told her that I couldn’t ask Google because I didn’t know what to ask. She laughed and then guided me to Google Search where I used my camera to take a photo of the unknown object. And in seconds, an AI generated answer came up. The unusual structure on a twig in my bush is a mantis egg sac. Who knew? Did you know that? It is amazing.

Later in the evening, I thought about my daughter’s earlier tutorial on modern day exploration through Google Search and I used it to figure out what was going on with my buckthorn bush at the corner of my screened porch. Turns out, it has a fungus, crown rust to be exact. So, last night, I reported this discovery and diagnosis to my husband who immediately treated it with fungicide. It was amazing.

Last evening, as I sat and prayerfully reflected on the day, I found myself filled with gratitude for family and time spent together. I felt blessed to have help in finding my answers through my daughter’s wisdom and tech savvy advice. I felt blessed for my husband, a loving father and grandfather and designated garden expert and fungicide sprayer. As I mulled over the day, I added, it would be wonderful if all life’s questions had an answer app. And suddenly I heard that inaudible answer in my soul: “THERE IS AN APP FOR THAT!”

And I realized down to my socks that the Spirit was right (He always is!). An app is a particular function for the “user” that allows the user to perform tasks or to find answers. It is part of our programming. It is prayer – taking our questions and needs to our LORD for answers and assistance. And we’ve had it since the beginning, long before computers.

And I sat, smiling broadly on my porch. “Oh, LORD, You amaze me, You truly amaze me.” And I promised to be “plugged in” to the resources at hand, the resources given me from my very beginning for this journey, for my questions, for my needs. Life is like that! Don’t you know? Sometimes we have to be reminded of the blessings we’ve been given in surprising ways.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.