Don't Squander the Wander!

What image comes to mind when the phrase “times of refreshing” hits your ears? Is it a good book, cozy blanket, and cuppa something? Or watching waves crashing onto the sand as you feel the breeze on your face? Possibly a bustling city scene or a theme park full of thrill rides. Might even be lounging around a roaring campfire at the edge of your favorite lake, surrounded by some amazing people. Whatever the case may be, we all desperately need times of refreshing. Perking up. Rejuvenating.

We need to charge our physical, spiritual, and emotional batteries. Daily.

Remember when we had a phone connected to the wall, with the long spiral stretched out cord? You know, the phone that did one function. Phone calls. Ah, those were the days. And our wrist-watch, designed to tell time, only had a little non-recharging battery inside?

Back in the day, we took for granted that the source of power was connected. Continuous. Powered up there at the house, or easily replaced at the watch repair store. That was an existence before bulky blocks of energy found their way into our daily routine. We had no cords to carry everywhere, and random sources of power we hoped would work in a pinch. We had no little battery icon warning of our soon lack of functionality. We just watched it work until the house power went out or the battery died.

Now, more and more each day, we are connecting to the chargers of life, to do just about everything we would like to do. These little charging stations afford us the opportunity to go forth with technology we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago. Down side? We watch that little battery symbol in the corner of our reality wind down day after day. All over the place. In every little gizmo that keeps us connected. Now that blinking screen feature constantly reminds us of impending doom. Disconnectedness. Unless we plug into power. Quick!

When the storms of life come, the weather people are quick to remind us to keep our devices charged up, so we can get the warnings and guidance we need. Be ready. Charged up before we need it.

What area of life are you feeling things are getting a little stale? Tired? Old? In need of a refreshing bump of power to bring you back to the life and pace you once had? This can be in a physical, spiritual, or emotional sense. All get drained daily if we aren’t filling back up. We all have one or three or a thousand ways we could say yes to those questions. Its far too easy to wind down quicker than we realize, and pop up for air only to find out we are in a place we never imagined, or a place we never thought we’d stay. Empty.

I don’t know about you, but I have certainly run to the feet of Jesus, with my battery down to less than one little bar left, depleted, worn out, discouraged and desperate. Pleading for forgiveness. A fresh hope. And renewed joy. Peace.

Friend, the charger of life is waiting. Jesus, our one true source of love and power and strength and life, is waiting for us all to come and say we “can’t do _____ anymore.” In that moment, He lovingly says, finally.

Finally.

He has been waiting! Not to condemn. Not to shame. His goal is for us to come seeking forgiveness, and find forgiveness. Refreshing life. Redemption. From whatever “it” is. There is nothing so bad He can’t redeem. There is no one so bad He can’t forgive. In fact, He gave His life to do so. Literally. Willingly.

There is no reason Jesus would say, not today, move along. That just isn’t the Savior of the World. When we seek Him, we will find Him.

Jesus came so that everyone who would come to Him would find Him. The Lord wants to be found! Not only that, but God gives us His Holy Spirit to recharge our life, bringing us into newness, full battery icon, ready to face a new day. With strength. And His purpose. To do things we never thought we could do, in a strength we’ve never realized we have.

The fun thing about the power of God is that we get to refresh daily. There is no reason to drain down to empty. We can keep our spiritual tank full! We can to plug in to His Word each day. And pray, which is just conversation with Him who we love. We connect with the Holy Spirit, the One who revives. Hears. Heals. Equips.

Reach out to the God who revives. Call out to Him who forgives, saves, and redeems. Jesus is waiting. Ready to give you the reviving joy you’ve desperately needed for far too long. Times of refreshing.