Plugged In
Do you plan for laundry day? I don’t. I like to have a routine so there really is nothing to plan for. Sometimes though, when I am in a new place and my usual routine is off, I kind of just go with the flow. Today is one of those days. I woke up with laundry on my mind.
Usually this is a simple task. Just add the clothes, and detergent into the machine, get the settings correct and press the button to start. Well, I don’t speak or read Mandarin. The settings panel and the instructions for the machine I have are in Mandarin. This may seem like a problem at first glance, but I am a very determined person. The problem will be solved… eventually.
Thank God for technology and the ability to phone a friend. I figured this would be the simple solution – use translation software, and if that fails ask someone who understands the language. Easy, right? Well, when you do all that and still can’t figure it out, what do you do?
I had been looking at this machine on and off for over three hours. I mean the user manual once translated wasn’t that difficult to understand. The instructions given by my friend were pretty simple also. So why did it feel like something was still missing? As I stood there and looked around the machine again, I noticed the one thing I had failed to see before. The machine wasn’t plugged in!
That was when it occurred to me that we often live our lives this way. We are looking everywhere we know to look for answers. We look to our family, friends, leaders, books, nature… The list goes on. We look everywhere and forget that just like appliances if we are not plugged into The Source of Power, we won’t run at all.
This was a revelation for me, and l pray that it is for you too.
Now you might be asking, what is The Source of Power? How do I get plugged in?
Well, the answer to your first question is The Trinity – God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Connecting to them is as simple as reading your Bible and praying everyday. Actually, more accurately, optimal connection happens when we are plugged in 24/7, 365. Just like my washing machine won’t turn on if I unplug it, I am not connected to the Trinity if I am not praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and constantly meditating on what is written in the Bible. If like me you sometimes forget to plug in and stay plugged in, consider this your reminder.
If you are a new believer, welcome to the family. If you have been a believer for some time but you’re new to this space, welcome. This is a place where we learn, grow, and teach others what we have learned.
Live Life Robustly!
E.