Any car (or boat) battery will eventually lose its charge given a long enough period of time, even if the battery's brand new and left completely disconnected on a dealer's shelf. And asking a battery to start your car (or boat) engine, especially on a cold winter morning, day after day after day, consumes an amazing amount of available energy.
Thing is, no battery is self-recharging. So what puts energy back into the battery and keeps it recharged?
That's why your car (or boat) has an alternator: once the engine starts, it's the alternator's job to supply the voltage necessary to recharge your car (or boat) battery and replace what was lost from starting the engine.
Memo: It's a fact of life that if your car (or boat) battery loses its charge and won't start the engine, no amount of screaming, yelling, sarcasm or swearing about being two hours late for work will help put it back.
Hmmm.
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We like to think we're more complex than a car (or boat) battery, but like it or not, human beings have something in common with car (and boat) batteries. The juice we expend in our day to day lives has gotta be replaced; otherwise we couldn't get started in the morning.
Since none of us were born with alternators bolted to our backs, what will we use instead to recharge our energy and keep us going?
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Anger, rage, resentment, jealousy, pride, revenge, conceit, selfishness and suspicion are one way of keeping our batteries charged. All those things feel powerful and light up the internal indicator lights that assure us something's happening and getting done.
But remember, none of those emotions will recharge a dead car (or boat) battery. And as human beings, aren't we much more complex than any car (or boat) battery?
Right?
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Isn't it funny how easily we'll remember and stay angry about the smallest things for months and months ... like somebody cutting us off in traffic, or somebody taking too long checking out at the grocery store or somebody gossiping behind our backs at work ... compared to how quickly we forget all the things we have to be truly grateful for?
Energy spent = Energy requiring replacement
So what's keeping your life's battery charged?
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
Luke 6:45-46
When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'
- Luke 11:24
