recharging in my old study

One of my weekly tasks is to re-charge. Literally. I have an implant inside me that sends electrical signals into my brain which is stopping a chronic migraine that I had for ten years before the wonderful gadget (it’s called an Occipital Nerve Stimulator) was fitted.

The first one I had was powered by a battery that had a finite life. Once it had died they had to replace it (which involved another operation). This time around they have fitted one with a rechargeable battery. But because of the nature of the electronics in the gadget if the battery completely discharges it might not be able to be restarted. A second such occurrence means that it’s unlikely that it can be restarted. A third such occurrence would almost certainly mean the end of the gadget’s life and surgery to replace it.

So I am very careful to make sure that I recharge at least once a week. That means that I don’t allow the battery to go down any lower than 25% charged and usually it is 50%, meaning that there is no risk of the battery discharging completely.

But with the busyness of the past week – moving house and recovering from surgery and so on – I had forgotten to recharge this week and when, this morning, I remembered and checked to see how I was doing I was down to below 25%. Eek!

Cue recharging (currently (pun intended) at 75% and counting).

We all know that our bodies and minds need rest and re-creation in order to function well. Days off are important and while we may feel virtuous by working through them in fact we are short-changing the people for whom we are working and the One for whom our work is an act of worship, as well as ourselves.

And spiritual recharging is just as important. Someone I know used daily Bible reading notes Every Day With Jesus but commented that they were often at best Every Other Day With Jesus. I know that I am able to follow Jesus more closely when I am in regular contact with him – in prayer, in reading my Bible, in seeking to listen to him and look for him, in worship and work. We all recharge spiritually in slightly different ways – some are recharged by nature, some by singing, some in prayer, some in reading the Bible, some in silence, some in encounters with others, most of us by a combination of lots of these things. But I know that I feel spiritually empty when I neglect them. In what ways do you find it easiest to recharge? Focus on them. Practise them and practice others.

Don’t leave your spiritual recharge to a once-a-week visit to church (or once a year if you are a regular attender at the Carol Service), it is not sufficient (and then we wonder why we don’t feel close to Jesus or are spiritually arid). And if we frequently allow our spiritual batteries to drain completely don’t be surprised if it’s more difficult to recharge again.

Be blessed, be a blessing