Summer in Indiana often brings with it the inevitable summer storm and following power outages for hours. One would think we would have prepared for this eventuality, and it has come up many times in discussion, but so far we have not made the plunge and purchased a generator. It would be nice to have for sure, especially on days that I have a lot of work to do on my computer, but for now, I have to sit in the dark and be all reflective. I have 95% battery life on the iPad, so thought I would at least feel slightly productive since the internet is down, I can type now and post later.
Powerless. We depend on, expect, take for granted, believe that the lights will be there. When they aren’t it is like being lost for a bit. It’s all so quiet. No humming fans, dryers, air conditioners, TV, hard drives spinning… it’s just silent. Right now all I can hear is the clicking of my keys as I type. So it goes without saying that all of our technology is pretty useless without a power source. Yup, there sure is a spiritual parallel there. When I am not plugged in to the source of power, I am pretty useless. Jesus uses an agricultural metaphor — I am a vine and you are branches. The only reason you bear fruit is because you are attached to me. A vine has roots in the ground and the branches are fed from its nutrients. A branch by itself on the ground is a dead stick. I have my phone plugged in right now. The outlets on the wall are useless because there is no power coming into the house from Indiana/Michigan Power. The wires have been severed somewhere out there and the grid in this area is down. Nothing in our house that requires electricity is useful. Powerless. A dead stick. But once the power comes back, once you are plugged back in, well then! Functionality and purpose returns. (I fully expect things to come back to life around 4am, in the midst of a deep sleep. It’s a bit disconcerting but I won’t complain to have it back!) My point, and I do have one here, rambling away at midnight… is that we have to stay connected to Christ, the source of our power. His Word, our written connection to His heart — a living God-breathed letter to us of poetry, history, wisdom and stories of ordinary people on a extraordinary journey to find something bigger than themselves. Who got plugged into a source of power they could not comprehend; one which forever changed their courses of their lives!