How to Survive a Batteries-Not-Included Life

Steven Spielberg released a movie in 1987, Batteries Not Included.

The movie captures the plight of an elderly couple who are bullied by a property developer to sell their apartment.

Feeling powerless, the couple is inspired to fight when these E.T.’s come to their aid.

It’s the lack of power to stand against big problems that requires batteries!

Here’s what I found to overcome the chaos.

Can’t Run Without Batteries

Late on Christmas Eve many years ago, I was exhausted.

The kids had gone to bed and Judy and I were up putting toys together.

Suddenly I realize the toys say “batteries not included.”

I said, “Honey I’ll be back,” and then I thought, who’s open at midnight on Christmas Eve?  7-Eleven?  Eckerd’s?

I jump in the car to go get batteries. When I get back home, Judy has a startled look on her face. 

She said, “Steve!  Do you realize you’ve been to the store in your pajamas?  You should have worn a bathrobe or something!”

I said, “Honey, at midnight, who cares?  Nobody said anything to me.  In fact, I think everybody else there had pajamas on too.”

Nobody at that hour on Christmas Eve cares about anything but batteries.

And when you have everything but batteries, that’s the big word isn’t it?

That’s our world today.   We’ve got everything but real power.  Real light.

We’ve got all the equipment.  We have education, government, science, technology, money, religion, law.  We have everything but something or someone to make it all work.  Something or someone to give us real power.

Can’t Run Without Spark Plugs

By the time Christmas rolls around, many folks feel like a car without spark plugs.

Everything’s big and bright and shiny and beautiful with all the trimmings.  But, there’s. . .

• no fire
• no light
• no ignition

So, we get out and push and push.

We’ll make a little headway and we think we’re making great progress but we don’t have any . . .

• internal combustion
• internal power
• inner light

Can’t run without light

The first Christmas made history because of the light.  The power.

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  Matthew 2:1-2

Extraordinary power accompanied Jesus throughout his life.

“And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.”  Matthew 17:2

“Light” is a metaphor the Apostle John uses over and over to describe Christ.

• “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  John 1:4-5    
• Then Jesus spoke, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8: 12
  

After many years of curiously following Christ I can say there is something quite energizing and powerful from his presence even when I have suffered.

“The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”  John 9 selected verses

This Christmas, stop and ask about your batteries.  Are they low?  Dead?

Why not go out on a limb beyond this natural world and connect to the light?