This is part of a quick-read section that I want to cultivate. Whether it is easy reads as you are out the door and ready to begin your day or winding down for the evening. Hopefully, this will sow seeds to continue your journey in this life.

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It was 4:45 in the morning when I went downstairs to do my treadmill workout. I had already had my coffee, completed my morning devotionals, and set my work clothes out.  I grabbed my second phone, which only served as my music player these days, and my earbuds.  I stretched, turned on the phone, put my earbuds in and stepped up to the treadmill, ready for a nice long walk/run.  I looked down to see a sliver of red on the phone battery, indicating 2% battery.  What?  I had it plugged in all night.  I quietly snuck back upstairs, so as not to wake anyone up, grabbed the charger and went downstairs to plug the phone in next to the treadmill.   I discovered that the plug was not my normal fast charger and wasn’t very compatible with my phone. I was not going to be listening to music any time soon.

I will admit that I had to push away the thought of not working out. I was so tempted to go back upstairs, get in my comfy prayer chair, and grab more coffee. How boring was this walk/run going to be with nothing to listen to?!  Begrudgingly, I turned the speed up and hit the incline button. As I started walking at a very slow pace, it hit me: an analogy for life, for my spiritual life. My phone had music in it, I could see the icon, I just couldn’t access all it had to offer because the battery didn’t have enough power to get it to play. The charger it had been using wasn’t compatible, so it wasn’t capturing power.

As I started walking a little faster, and at a greater incline, I thought about how often I let my battery die down. How often do I use the wrong kind of charge that doesn’t allow the music inside of me to play for others?  How many times do people see me and know there is something deeper, something within that I possess, but it just isn’t accessible because I don’t have enough charge to let my light shine. I walked faster still, almost at a run, listening to that voice inside me charging me up, cheering me on, telling me that I don’t always need outside noise to be fulfilled, I don’t always need to rely on a stimulus to keep me motivated.  I had what I needed, right there accessible to me; I just needed to let it come through, I just needed to listen for it, let it guide me, and charge me up.