First Christian Church | Pittsfield

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Battery Recharged

01.28.20 | Michael's Corner | by Michael Ten Eyck

    1 Peter 3:13-16 (ESV)

    Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14  But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.


    In the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to work on the set for the upcoming PHS musical.  There were a few specific tasks that I agreed to build in my free time. This time of year is quite busy, so I had planned to build these on a Friday afternoon.  

     

    I sketched out some drawings, made a materials list, and then headed to the lumber yard to collect everything needed.  I was keeping a close eye on the clock as I only had a short window of time to get this project completed.  

     

    After unloading the lumber and getting all the pieces cut into the appropriate lengths, I began the process of assembling them.  It was all working out according to schedule until I grabbed my cordless screw gun and pulled the trigger… Instead of the crisp whine of the motor, I heard a sound similar to the one my sleeping dog makes when I push him off my feet to get out of bed in the morning.  

     

    The battery was dead, but that was okay, I had two others.  I fumbled through my storage box to pull out the other batteries and sure enough, they were both fully discharged as well. I could see my schedule going out the window as now I had to take the time to wait for the batteries to recharge.  This is not supposed to happen when you have multiple batteries. One could always be charging while the others are in use, but I had neglected to take the simple step of plugging them into the charger.  

     

    It did not take long for me to relate this experience to our walk with Christ.  All too often we get so busy that we neglect to “recharge” in God’s presence. These simple but sacred moments are critical for us to be most effective.   

     

    How many times has an opportunity arisen where we were ready to “pull the trigger” of sharing, serving or shining, but all we got was the short rumble of fear, intimidation or unpreparedness? If we are honest, I bet there are enough of those times to warrant us to make concerted efforts to get plugged in and charged up.  

     

    Guarding your daily Bible reading, prayer, and worship are great ways to have that battery charged and ready for service.    

    I chuckled to myself as I now had an unexpected half an hour to wait as the battery slowly charged.  How could I best use this time? Get my soul recharged in God’s presence.  

     

    Loving you all, 

    Michael