One of the aspects of my job is troubleshooting the technical issues that arise with our production equipment across all of our campuses. Sometimes this means traveling to a campus to get my hands on the equipment, but more often I find myself fielding calls and text messages from our media directors at the other campuses. As time goes by, our media directors gain more troubleshooting experience as I talk them through solving problems. They need my help less, but I still get the occasional emergency call when they are stumped.
Sometimes the answer requires some serious brain power to solve or a more hands on approach from me. Other times, the simplest solution is the right one. This weekend, I got a call from one of our campuses regarding a projector that was not cooperating. The problem sounded like it could be a major internal issue, but I suggested that they plug it into a different circuit as well as change the power cable incase there was something wrong there. In doing so, they found that the projector was plugged into a dimmer pack and only receiving 50% power.
In other news, my van decided to quit on us this week. It could be the battery, the alternator, or any number of other electrical issues. What ever it is, the van stopped getting the power it needed to drive, and eventually decided not to start anymore. I won’t know what’s wrong with my van until Tuesday, but I do know that it is something electrical.
I think often we function like that projector or my van. We can get up and running for a few moments but tend to fizzle out, or we slow to a stop and just cannot seem to get going again. Whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually, we can all become drained or feel like we are dragging along.
If we get tired at work sometime after lunch and the day feels like it slows to a snail’s pace, maybe we should look at the food we are eating or the amount of time we spend sleeping and/or exercising. If we have a difficult time handling criticism or are constantly riding an emotional roller coaster, maybe it’s time to check where we look for our worth. If we are struggling in our faith or feel like there’s more to life than what we are experiencing, maybe we aren’t disciplined enough in our relationship with God, or are too busy worshipping other gods in our lives.
You might find a little bit of power to get you through little bits of your life. You might even feel like you’ve always got enough juice to just get by. You’re not going to feel real power until you plug into the right source and stay plugged in. Find a healthy diet instead of eating out all the time. Remember that your worth is from your Creator and not from your boss or what you do. The meaning of your life is much deeper than the American dream, and a relationship with your Creator is the only way you will ever feel real power in your life.