“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light” (Revelation 22:5a NKJV).
Five days without power. This is the longest I’ve ever gone with the electricity off. A friend asked me what I had been doing all week. I replied, “Staring into the fire and contemplating life.” Part of that answer was a joke, but in truth I have pondered things I usually take for granted. I never realized how often I washed my hands or how much I appreciate my dishwasher, refrigerator, and shower. I’ve sat around thinking to myself there’s nothing to do while we wait for power to return. It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, electricity has been an idol to me all along.
I have been waiting until daylight to do my morning worship. Honestly reading it by the fire in my chair with blanket and poochie watching the snow outside felt romantic. But as our neighbor said, the snow isn’t beautiful to her, it is a nuisance, a problem. After living here only six months our power has gone out two times for an extended period and flickers frequently. I LOVE snow, but my sprit dampened when we received two additional inches of snow and are still in the dark.
Each day we go without power, I am less inclined to believe it will come back on which is really the opposite of how I should feel. The power company website says only 16,000 people are without power in our area as opposed to the original 86,000+. Surely as the number drops, we are more likely to be next on the list. It is hard to maintain a constant feeling of hopefulness especially when the next day comes and goes without that hope being fulfilled.
There is a reason patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. I don’t think God meant for us to await Jesus’s return as a child might wait to receive a new puppy or as I wait for the electricity to return. While we are here, we are to foster patient, not giddy, hopefulness. One day we will live with the Light of the world. I’m sure by this time next week we will have power again. If I can be so assured of that, then living with a patient hope of our Lord’s return should be just as easy.
Lord, help me remember that Your Light and return is more assured than anything else here on Earth.
(And our power came back on around noon today!)
