Life is Like a Battery

Several times in my life, a random person has used a battery as a metaphor. Once, on a frigid, pitch-black night, I was riding on the back of a friend’s black motorcycle, traveling to a prayer and praise meeting. At a stoplight, I asked why we were riding a motorcycle in freezing weather, in the middle of the night, to a home that “might” be hosting a Bible study. He turned to me and said, “We don’t have self-charging batteries.” His metaphor stayed with me.

Self-Charging Battery

My friend’s statement is true. Being a Christian is not something we are intended to do by ourselves. Sure, there are situations when we may be isolated – perhaps we’ve been captured while being a missionary in a hostile land – but nearly all Christians find fellow Christians, even in the most oppressive governments. This is because God makes a way. And He makes a way because it is His will that Christians fellowship, praise, and worship with one another. Jesus told us, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20) When Jesus is there, we can be sure our batteries will be recharged.

Most unhappy people who call themselves Christians are self-imprisoned, living by rules and rites they have created; their own religion has the appearance of Christianity, but without the Church. Their lives are devoid of the life of Jesus because self-isolation is against His will. Their batteries slowly discharge in the dark, never showing the light of life (John 8:12).

If we want to have the morality of Christianity, and the blessings of Christianity, and the hope promised by Christianity, we must let go of pride and publicly, sincerely, and happily live for Jesus and in fellowship with fellow Christians. We can’t be an island, always holding everyone at arm’s length. If Christ is alive in us, His nature will draw us to connect with other believers.

Guilt, depression, indifference, anger, and self-loathing all fall away when we do as Apostle Paul instructed us:

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” – Colossians 3:16

It’s vital that we not only get our batteries recharged, but we also, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, help fellow believers recharge theirs.

Life’s Low Battery

Shortly before her passing, my wife talked with her mom, who was in his nineties. Afterwards, she said, “Her battery is nearly drained.” This was terribly sad news. But when her battery could no longer hold a charge, she entered the glorious life Jesus had prepared for her in heaven. We all grieved our loss, but none grieved for her.

Using my wife’s metaphor, God has given each of us a battery that can only be recharged a fixed number of times. None of us knows what that number is. I can say, “I plan on living to be 100,” but that is just foolishness. Jesus spoke of a foolish farmer who had filled his barns full of crops. So, the farmer said:

“And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’”
– Luke 12:19-20

God’s Word tells us that each of us has a set time when our life will end, when our battery will be dead. (Job 14:5) For those of us who live in Jesus, how much time is still on our batteries should not be a concern. Instead, we should focus on living consistently for Jesus.

Dead Batteries

If we have repented (Acts 3:19), if we have publicly declared that Jesus is Lord, and if we have believed that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9), then we will enter heaven when our batteries run out. At that time, we will have no need for a “battery.” Being in God’s presence will eternally energize us.

It’s sobering to realize that we must give an account of ourselves to God (Romans 14:12). But, I can imagine there might be time for us to look over His shoulder as He turns each page of the “photo album” of our lives, stopping from time-to-time to reminisce about events, giving us the backstory of how He intervened for us, and explaining to us how He “recharged our batteries” throughout our lives.