I have an evening bedtime routine that has changed significantly in the last few years as I’ve acclimated to technology. Since gadgets entered my universe, my bedtime rituals have expanded to include making sure all my devices are set to charge before lights out.
Way back in the day – my needs were simple. I plugged in my cell phone and my heating pad for my chronic back pain.
Nowadays in addition to those two items, I’ve added a (borrowed) iPad, a Fitness watch, a Kindle Fire and recently acquired, wireless ear buds. These gadgets jockey for position on an electrical strip outlet on the floor by my slippers. In the middle of the night it’s a Medusa’s tangle of cords waiting to fell me on my way to the bathroom.
Every electronic device must be properly affixed to its own specific port or block to receive a full charge. Many a morning I’ve discovered upon waking that one of the ports wasn’t completely engaged, leaving me with a dead, useless gadget.
Useless and not properly charged can describe the way I started 2022. Too many Christmas expectations and responsibilities stole much of my time and energy. I stumbled my way into the New Year physically exhausted from too little sleep. Sporting a king-size guilt hangover from neglecting my quiet time with the Lord, I felt spiritually dead inside. It didn’t help that both of my small groups were on a holiday hiatus so I engaged in very little fellowship with other believers and opted for online church services for half of the month of December.
After hearing Pastor Brian speak this past weekend, he pinpointed the cause in part for my spiritual depletion and New Year’s funk. Over the holidays I failed to spend time with my “balcony people.” Because of a couple of big family holiday gatherings, I did find opportunities to engage with several “basement people.”
As believers, it is imperative that we are properly engaged in fellowship with other believers in order to be spiritually charged. Weekend church services, reading God’s Word daily and feeding our spirits with quiet time with the Lord are all great ways to be sure that we are fully charged. However, we must not forego engaging with brothers and sisters in the Lord.
You can own the latest, greatest, fanciest cell phone made – but if you fail to power it up with a proper charge – that phone is nothing more than an expensive paper weight. Calling ourselves a Christian does not automatically make us a power-filled ambassador for Christ. Our power comes from plugging in REGULARLY with the Word of God and having a dedicated quiet time with the Lord. Joining and attending a small group is an extra charge to our spiritual batteries, as well as getting plugged in by serving the Lord in some capacity.
Are you running on empty, feeling spiritually, physically or mentally disconnected? The beginning of a New Year is a great time to fully engage and get plugged in to a small group family. If you don’t have a small group, go online at: Vineyard Church North Phoenix and find a group that will help to recharge your spiritual batteries.
Blessings in Christ,
Kathy K.
