Where's the power?

Yesterday afternoon while the kids were napping, I was on the computer and talking on the phone at the same time. All of the sudden, the phone went dead, computer went off, air conditioner stopped, and my house was completely silent. It was obvious, no doubt, the electricity was gone. No lights, no air, no computer, no phone, NO POWER! Instantly, I ran outside to see if my neighbors were experiencing the same problem, they weren't. My house was the only one without power. Oh and Ava Beth had a fever of almost 104 degrees! Yep, the day was not looking too good.

Sick child, hot day, no power! To make it even more exciting, I had to unload everything from my freezer and refrigerator and take it to my Dad's apartment. Thankfully, he lives a mile away and we stayed with him. It was too hot to stay at our house and Josiah kept asking if he could watch The Wiggles. It's way too hard explaining to a three year old that you don't have electricity so we packed up and went somewhere that did!

Okay, I am sure you are wondering what on earth happened to cause the power outage?? Well, the man from the electric company came to turn it off because the bill was not paid. It's a very long story but let's just say that I have been doing the bills in my home way too long. Quite often I make mistakes. I have even been known to pay the car payment twice or pay the wrong bill. If you haven't figured it out by now, I am not good with paying bills. It's 100% official, I have resigned! Did you hear that Babe? You now pay the bills! And when you pay them, I promise not to complain. At least I will not be responsible for loss of electricity anymore. In fact, I know that with you paying the bills, that will never happen.

One did not realize that when you have your electricity cut off that it takes 24-48 hours to have it turned back on. "Mam, we do not flip lights on and off over here." Yes, that is what I was told after paying the bill over the phone. I begged and pleaded and cried. Yes, I cried. I explained that I had two babies at home and one of them was sick. "I am sorry but it will be 24-48 hours before it will be back on." Oh and let me mention something before I forget. Don't switch from TXU to someone else. They may offer cheaper rates but it's worth paying an extra 2 cents per kilowatt just to have good customer service. This was our first bill with a new energy company. We switched because a family member asked us to, so we did. But after all that we went through, I will make every attempt to switch back and have TXU again. It was a horrible experience to say the least! Finally, TWENTY-SEVEN hours later, the power was restored!

Today I drive to the house several times to see if the power is back on. One time I forgot to grab some diapers so I had to come back again, only to find the house was still powerless! But for some dumb reason, I walked in and began flipping light switches. Then I tried to use our cordless phone. And I even caught myself walking to the computer to check our bank account! All of these things are impossible without electricity. But I found that I was so used to having power that I expected it.

I would like to say that I handled this with a graceful attitude. I didn't! I would love to say that my character that was revealed during this trial was one that was strong and steadfast. It wasn't! I got mad at myself, mad at my husband, mad at the electric company and mad at the world. Yesterday I cried most of the day and some of today as well. But as soon as I drove up to my house this afternoon, hit the garage door opener and saw my garage open, the stress was GONE. Finally, the power was back on! And wouldn't you know, God decides to speak to me! Loud and clear, this is what I heard."You walk into situations and expect great things to happen just like you expect those lights to turn on. But if the main power source is turned off, nothing is going to work."

How can we know God's will for our lives without being lead by the power of the Holy Spirit? We can't. No matter what it is, we have to rely on Him. As a wife and stay at home mom, I sometimes feel a lot of pressure. There are a lot of things that I am responsible for and I can't do it without direction from the Holy Spirit. When we put our house on the market last year, I had to make all of the arrangements. I had to find a new house. I had to set up phone, cable, electric, gas, water, everything. One of the toughest things I had to do was shop mortgage rates and then choose a mortgage company. My husband's job does not allow him time to do all of these things. So as the manager of this home, it fell under me. I became so stressed out that my hair was falling out, I was sick to my stomach, I couldn't sleep and I couldn't concentrate on anything. Finally, the Lord got a hold of me and showed me that I needed to trust Him with everything. With each decision I had to make, I asked God to make it for me. You know what? He did! When I plugged into the REAL power source, the lights came on!

Lord, show me where I am not using the power source! I want to follow you in everything I do, everything! Help me to be a woman that lives a powerful life! Thank you Jesus for the power of the cross in my life.