I’ve Got the Power

Challenging Thought for Today:    Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  Psalm 119:105 KJV

“Well, we’re out of light!”  This was my oldest daughter’s proclamation one evening after the power went off.  At the time, she wasn’t old enough to understand that the light is generated from a power source rather than a particular bulb or fixture.

A brief power outage on last Friday had me thinking about light and power.  Not just how much we take it for granted but also how much we depend on it for quality of life issues every day.

One student must have walked over to the library from the cafeteria only to find the power off here also. “Are you kidding?”  he asked.  “I didn’t get any breakfast and now this.  It’s not a good way to start off my day.”  Hopefully, his day got better after power was restored.

When we told another student that the outage was campus-wide, she moaned, “I’m going to die! I have to print my paper.”  I’m pretty sure she’s still alive and they eventually cancelled  classes, anyway.

Sometimes I think people who are afraid of the dark are not so much afraid of the presence of the darkness but the absence of a source of light.  Think about the India Arie lyrics to the song, There’s Hope.  One verse tells of a young man in the “back country of Brazil” who was extremely poor, living a simple life in a home without windows or doors.  However, his story didn’t end there.  The song continues: “On top of all of that he had no eye sight, but that didn’t keep him from seein’ the light.”

What a powerful message!  No matter what dark place you find yourself in, it doesn’t have to take away your power, which lies in the source of your hope.

So, just what is your power source today? If your hope is built on anything less than Jesus, you are living a powerless life.  Since I could not post last Friday, I decided to there was no need to waste a Friday challenge question and just give it to you on Monday.  What if we were all little light switches connected to heaven.  Would your children, best friend, spouse,  co-worker or customers get Christ-like responses when they flipped your “last nerve”  switch or would a very different light shine through?  Would you make the right decision in a heated moment when the “temptation” switch is flipped or would you listen to the Spirit and walk away?

Really think about what we are plugged into.   If we truly have the power of God through his Holy Spirit, then we don’t have to walk in fear, we can walk in faith.  Reflect on the challenge verse for today and take your power back.