A Love that Recharges

“Any idiot can face a crisis. It’s the day to day living that wears you out.” –Chekov

I came across this quote while reading Captivating (a fantastic book by John and Stasi Eldridge), and it’s stuck with me all week. I’m not the biggest fan of Chekov (though I respect his work), but I am with him on this. If you’re anything like me, you are worn out by the time Friday rolls around. The stress and energy required for the daily routine have a tendency to gradually but steadily wear me down, until I feel like all I can do is crawl into bed and stay there until my “battery recharges.” We are all human, and though we often try to take on the world, we all have a point at which our own strength will fail us.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall”

(Isaiah 40:30)

Fortunately—and miraculously—as Christians we have access to a divine and constant energy source. Though we are frail in our humanity, we have the capacity for great things here on earth, through the power of God himself—but we must plug in!

“He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

(Isaiah 40:28-29)

God’s love recharges us. He delights to give us strength to those who call on His name:

“but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah40:31)

God offers His strength to us, but we must take an active part in this recharging by coming to Him to plug in. Surely He answers emergency prayers for strength in hard moments, but full recharging can only happen when we allow ourselves to stay plugged into the Source. This takes time, and often requires that we remove ourselves from the actions of daily life in order to ensure an unbroken connection with the power source.

We should learn from Jesus, who in his ministry on earth needed frequent recharging. Countless times in the New Testament we see him “withdraw to lonely places” to pray. After a long day of healing and teaching, “he departed and went into a desolate place” (Luke 4:17). In the next chapter, Luke tells us: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Christ knew where His strength came from, and frequently made time to spend with the Strength-Giver. May we do the same, and may this crucial connection to the Source not be lost in the midst of life’s commotion. I am thankful for each of my brothers and sisters in faith, through whom I am encouraged and energized, and ultimately thankful to God who loves us enough to give abundantly of His strength to recharge our souls!