Electricity: Practice 1

Lights

Get creative with lighting your house: So many of us have windows in our house that are always covered by blinds of curtains. Yet, during any given day, there is enough sunlight to light many houses without needing light bulbs.

Sometime this week, if you are at home or in your office, try going without turning on the light switches. Open the blinds or the curtains and let the sun light your room. This, of course, may not be feasible if you don’t have enough windows, if it’s cloudy, or if it’s just too cold. But, if it’s possible, try it—see how your perspective changes with the different kind of light. Also, take a few moments to look out your window and be more connected with the world around you. You will notice nature, people, buildings. In these brief moments, pray. Your world is much bigger than the room you are in.

Try candles at night: Up until about 100 years ago the only light in homes at night came from some sort of candle. Take a night this week to reconnect with your roots. Have a dinner by candlelight. I bet it will make it more difficult to be distracted with just the candles lighting the house. You will save money and resources, and depending on what you do that night, it could be a very novel way to spend the evening as a family.

I remember many nights when the power went out, how I was surprisingly excited to get to use the candles and oil lamps at my parents’ house. Candles are still used to invoke something spiritual in our churches. If you are doing a devotion or Bible Study, try beginning by lighting your candles and ending by extinguishing them without using electrical lights. The fire has a different affect on us.