Perfect Power

True story. Who do you know that lived in North America without electricity in the 1980’s for more than a week? Try 5 years..

When I was 12-17 years old my family lived in a trailer on 160 acres of woods with a creek running through.

We got up for school in the dark, lit a kerosine lamp in the kitchen, and got dressed by the wood stove my dad welded together out of old oil drums. Sometimes if it was cold enough in the winter we would dress under the covers!

We carried water up the hill from the creek in buckets until dad dug a well and put a hand pump on the counter by the kitchen sink. Eventually he got water running through pipes so we could turn the taps on and have running water.

I remember getting shocks up my arm one time when I attempted to turn off the tap at the kitchen sink when someone had accidentally let the water overflow onto the floor..

But before that, Mom & us girls had to heat water on the propane stove to pour into a big bowl to wash our hair. We would save all the bath water in buckets to flush the toilet.

The only time we could actually run water or have lights was at night when we had the generator running. It was a huge machine in dad’s garage, surrounded by all kinds of tools & other machines.

Actually there were three generators of different sizes. Dad was always fixing one. Just as he would get it fixed another would break down.

The biggest one required a strong person to crank it to get it started.

Since dad often worked away from home for days or weeks at a time we had to learn how to put oil in, replace the cap, crank it up, and quickly yank the handle off. If we didn’t get it off in time it might spin around and fly off, hitting something or someone hard enough to kill.

That’s what dad told us.

So my sister and I were strong but small so it took both of us to crank together to turn the motor. We had to plan together when to yank the handle off and we got pretty good at it.

Except one day. It just slipped out of our hands.

I remember the panic we both felt, screaming and then suddenly remembering there was a kill switch.

I don’t know anymore which of us pushed that button, but the relief afterward was immense.

And then working up the courage to try again. Mom needed the electricity to run the washer so we could have clean clothes for school the next day.

I’m thankful to say we did it! We worked as a team and got it done.

Something neither of us could have done alone. And then we ran out of there to get away from the noise.

All the power we need to get through life is available through the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to be super strong or do everything perfectly to attain it, though.

We just have to BE in His Mighty Presence and ASK.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What is something unusual you experienced while growing up?

*NOTE: The photo of this Kohler generator is the only one I could find that looks similar to the one my sister and I had to crank. Ours was bigger than the two of us together (we were about 14 and 15) and looked much older and very oily/dirty. The crank handle was big enough for both of us to fit one of our hands on side by side.