Who turned off the light?

Bob keeps turning the lights off.  I can always tell if he’s been through a room after me when I walk back in and the room is now dark.  He’s even turned off the light with me still in the room, (conditioned response—“oops, sorry, honey!”)

Ostensibly, this is to save power, which means to save money, and my husband definitely loves to save money.  Not that he’s not generous, some might say to a fault, but when it comes to getting the monthly bills, yeah, our house is pretty dark.  One of our girls bought him this gift one year:

That pretty well sums it up.  Of course, we all tease him about it, but honestly, I really don’t mind, and I appreciate his frugality.

The funny thing is that electricity itself somewhat intimidates me, all those wires and things that could go wrong, and burning houses, and such.  I have a friend that has rewired a lamp herself; not me, uh-uh, no stinkin’ way.  I need something with the Underwriter’s Lab symbol on it!  I just want to push the button and let the bulb do its thing.

Some may call that lazy.  I call it smart. 

I do know how to flip on the switch.  Interestingly, however, I also know that without the switch, I will remain in the dark.  I can stare at that light, as beautifully packaged as it may be, (what I can see of it in the dark, that is), but as long as the switch remains untouched, I will continue to remain in the dark. 

In my mind, (which my husband says is a scary place, BTW; it’s just that he chooses to keep the lights off in there, too, I guess!)…in my mind, this speaks well of the difference between what some have called “head” knowledge and “heart” knowledge.  Another good term is revelation. 

An easy example would be reading something you’ve read a thousand times, and then “suddenly” it makes sense, or has a particular application to a specific solution.  Some call it the “Ah-ha!” moment.  Teachers love it when they see that proverbial light bulb go on over their student’s head.  Somehow, the switch got flipped on.  (“So that’s why we studied geometry in school…!”  Okay, maybe some of us never got that particular revelation, but you get the point.)

The thing about revelation, understanding, or applicable wisdom—whatever moniker we may put on it—it helps to know where the light switch is when we’re stumbling around a dark room. 

The sad thing is, some people will actually see the light source, and just stare at it wondering if it will work “this time” since last time the bulb was burnt out, or some disconnection in the walls burned the neighbor’s house down. 

But in all honesty, anything that “went wrong last time” wasn’t the electricity’s fault, now was it?  It was just the casing it was in. 

Not to belabor the analogy, but that’s how many folks view Jesus, through the defective and unfinished filter of His highly imperfect people.  And yet, He chose us to be the “casing” for His power, encasing, if you will, His Holy Spirit directly within each of us to progressively make us better vessels for that purpose.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

What was Jesus thinking?! Frail human flesh with unpredictable human personalities.  What a mess.  What crazy idea.

I love it.

Granted, the history of the church is pretty spotty,…er, soiled might be a better word, at least in a few places.  And many people feel like God has switched their lights off through pain and suffering, confusion or depression or rejection.  Life events have a way of darkening the room, to be sure.  But none of these negate the truth of Christ and His message, nor His power to change lives that truly avail themselves to that power.

Those that do more that just look at the switch and dare to flip it back on, that is.

Acts 1:8 Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.