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Perceptions #200044
"Cut Off From the Power Source"
by Monroe Hawley
Thursday morning, May 10, 1990. I awake and look out the window. The unbelievable has happened. The ground is covered with snow. The five inches turn out to be a record for this late in the season. A quick survey reveals we have lost several branches on our birch clump.
I turn on the radio. Alas, no electricity! The heavy snow has taken down the power line. We find a battery operated radio to learn the state of affairs. I start to shave. No electricity for my razor. So let's hook up the toaster and eat breakfast. No electricity. At least I can go the post office and pick up our mail. The car operates on gasoline. At the intersection of 27th and Grange traffic is backed up. The stoplight is out. No electricity!
What shall I do today? I had planned to print, but the press runs on electricity. Well, I can do some typing or work on the computer. Same problem. No electricity.
There are many lessons in this story. Our dependency on electricity demonstrates our material affluence. A few generations ago these things could not have happened because there was no electricity. At such times we should count our blessings.
Another lesson is in John Donne's words that "no man is an island." We all depend on those who produce electricity and fix broken wires. We also learn that no one knows what he will do tomorrow. All plans are contingent on the will of God.
But the most important lesson is that as we are physically dependent on electricity and suffer if cut off from the power source, so spiritually we are dependent on God "who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3). Not only do we depend on God for our physical needs, but no one who has enjoyed the spiritual blessings of the Christian faith can ever be happy if he cuts himself off from God, the source of these blessings. God is not only our hope for an eternal home, but the power supply for a triumphant spiritual life!