Was our turn to get hit with a strong line of thunderstorms moving across Lake Michigan. Power went down at the house yesterday afternoon about the time a bolt of lightning ripped the bark off of a neighbor’s tree.
Got a generator running to keep the sump pump going in our downstairs. First time I’ve had to use it. The thing is so loud. Need to figure out some way to baffle the sound before next time. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. But power came on again this morning about 6:20– after shaving by flashlight, and just about the time I was headed out the door for the day.
Keep thinking how dependent we’ve become on electricity and what has been happening to people all over the country who’ve been hammered with power outages, and far worse, this Spring and Summer.
Then something else happened. Became aware of another kind of power-down. Sensed that I was irritable, impatient, and anxious as I moved into the day.
Yeh, I could blame it on lost sleep. But the truth is bigger than that. The truth is that I get far more upset when the electricity goes down, than when the power goes out of my life.
When electric service is lost, down go the lights, the computer, and so many other conveniences. But when the power goes down spiritually, I gradually lose what the Apostle Paul called “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22-23)– and what Jesus said happens when we don’t “abide” or “remain consciously connected with him” the way a branch connects to a grape vine (John 15:1-5).
Wish spiritual power was as easy to recognize or back-up as the electricity that runs our homes and businesses. On the other hand, if we could turn the “spiritual power” on and off at will, am guessing we’d be even more inclined to lose the wonder and mystery of what it means to want to walk with our God– for the Person he is– rather than for the power– we want to use.
(+24 rating, 28 votes)
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