The best time to assess our life, seek forgiveness, set aside bitterness and reestablish our relationship with the Lord is now.
Tim Frodsham, 2 March 2021
In June of 1994, Dr. Thomas Nicely, a mathematics professor at Lynchburg College, discovered some anomalous results in his computer programs used to calculate prime numbers. It took him until that October to track down the source of the problem: computers based on Intel Corporation’s new Pentium processors. He contacted Intel Corporation to report the bug and learned that Intel had been aware of the problem since May of that year: a flaw in an instruction used to divide two numbers, imbedded deep within the processor. Intel was correct in their assessment that the problem was minor, and typical users like you and me would never see an issue. Occasionally, the computer would return a calculation that was in error by about sixty parts per million.
Intel first offered to replace processors for only those users who could prove that they were impacted by the error. Outcry mounted, moving from professional journals to the popular press and fueled by individuals who were able to write programs performing specific calculations to demonstrate and amplify the error. Intel finally capitulated, offering to replace any microprocessor impacted by the bug. Luckily for Intel, only a small percentage of owners actually requested a new microprocessor, but the bug still cost the company $475 million in 1995 along with a blow to their integrity and reputation.
Designing a world class microprocessor is one of the most complex engineering efforts on the planet. Thousands of computer architects, engineers, designers, fabrication personnel, and support staff are required to create a miniaturized computational machine about the size of your thumb nail. There are multiple phases in the creation of a computer microprocessor from conception, architecture, design, layout, and fabrication to assembly and testing.
Design and implementation errors can creep into the product at any point in this process: errors of miscommunication, flaws in the complex software used to simulate and implement the microprocessor design, human error or omissions on the part of the architects, engineers or other technical staff working to complete the design. Errors can creep into the design based on advancing technology as well, such as previously unseen quantum or electromagnetic effects due to the ever-shrinking dimensions of the chip topography.
Integrated into all facets of the creation process are design reviews, where computer architects, engineers, and other technical team members set up meetings for others to review and critique their designs. In these reviews, the engineers must open up and allow experts and peers to scrutinize all aspects of their work. If flaws are found in the design, or worse, flaws in the basic assumptions used to createthe designs, they must back track and in extreme cases, start anew. These reviews are not easy as it is not in our human nature to welcome criticism. Most reviews go well, with focus on theory and correct implementation. On occasion, criticism can be taken personally and egos get bruised.
As much as we dislike these reviews, they are crucial to the success of the microprocessor. The sooner a problem is found, the easier it is to correct and milder are the consequences. Early in the design process, the consequences can be a few seconds or minutes to correct a piece of logic or fix an error in a circuit drawing. As the design matures, these same errors take longer and longer to correct with increasing ramifications to the project effort and schedule. The same flaws found late in the design process require frantic late night efforts of hundreds of engineers to find solutions that minimize impact to cost and schedule. Flaws which make it beyond product introduction and into the hands of consumers morph into problems like the division error described above.
The earlier we find and address issues in our own lives, the milder the consequences are to us as individuals and families. Problems can be of our own making: his first look at pornographic images, her second glance at another man, escalating arguments with our spouse, or that first drug-induced experience. Problems can also be thrust on us with no fault of our own: the drunk driver who smashed into our family car, illness, employment, or our failed business.
The earlier we address these problems, the milder are the repercussions. Recognize our attraction to pornography and take steps to eliminate exposure. Redirect our thoughts of infidelity and work to replace them, employing individual and family counseling. Find forgiveness for the drunk driver. Practice acceptance of physical frailties. Follow the prophet’s council on preparedness.
For the problems in our lives that do become crises–and there will always be such problems–honesty and reliance on Jesus Christ is essential and the earlier we seek His guidance the better. Many, though not all, of the serious problems in our lives require repentance, Elder Matthew L. Carpenter states in his October 2018 address “Wilt thou Be Made Whole.”
“They incorrectly felt that it was better not to repent now so that they would not further hurt those they loved. In their minds it was better to suffer after this life than go through the repentance process now. Brothers and sisters, it is never a good idea to procrastinate your repentance. The adversary often uses fear to prevent us from acting immediately upon our faith in Jesus Christ.”
Just like engineers in a technology project, none of us like to share the faults and flaws of our lives, shining a light into the tangles of our humanity. However, the sooner we place our wounds before the Lord, the sooner we feel the restoring power of His atonement. Healing can start in our families. Amends can be made, and down the road, more serious consequences of our actions can be avoided.
Repentance is not just for those times of crisis when we have made a mess of our lives; repentance is a continual process, allowing us those tiny course corrections that help us avoid the major pitfalls of life. Nor should repentance be delayed out of fear or guilt. Guilt is a powerful tool in the hands of our Creator to bring us to repentance, tools which are hijacked by the advisory to accomplish the opposite. Boyd K. Packer testified of the power of Christ’s atonement: “The thought that rescued Alma … is this: Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and you cannot fix is the very purpose of the atonement of Christ.” (Oct 1995).
In the April 2019 conference, President Nelson taught “Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Repentance is not a punishment, but a process which should permeate our daily lives. President Nelson continues: “When Jesus asks you and me to ‘repent,’. . . he is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies.” The repentance process itself is universal, whether we are seeking forgiveness for sins, attending a design review to hunt down potential flaws, or simply trying to find a mistake in our math homework. We are working to “Change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit—even the way we breathe.”
The development of sophisticated technology lives and dies based on the honest and forthright efforts each team member uses to assess their efforts and to make changes based on conscientious and sincere review of their work. So does the development of our families, our varied communities, and our relationship with God. We must learn to trust our Savior and work with Him and through Him as we address the calamities of our mortal existence.
For those problems of our own making, as we honestly admit our frailty, our humanity, our guilt, and we push forward in accepting a relationship with our Savior, the weight of sin and guilt is lifted through forgiveness and the restoring power of Christ’s atonement. For crises beyond our control, the loss of a mother or daughter, again the earlier we turn to the Lord and place our anger and our broken hearts in His hands, the earlier His healing power washes over us. We will not avoid all the crises of life, but as the people of Lemhi in The Book of Mormon, through the infinite power of His sacrifice for us, we will be able to “bear [our] burdens with ease and . . . submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” (Mosiah, 24:15).
Copyright 2021, Tim Frodsham, latterdaysaints.life
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