Looks Like There’s An Energy Crisis

For those of you who lived through the 70’s, you’ll probably remember the gas shortage. I realize that I’m dating myself, but during that time, I was right around the age to get my driver’s license. Some of my friends had their licenses already. I remember how crazy it was driving past gas stations with long lines of cars waiting to fill up their cars with gas. People were desperate to get gas in their cars. It even escalated to the point where people could only get gas on certain days depending on which number their license plate ended in, even or odd (this was before personalized plates). I think everyone was afraid that at some point, we would simply run out of gas. It was the only time in my life I have experienced anything like that. Looking back, I realize now that people were lining up for something that they depended on to live their daily lives. Although there hasn’t been anything like that again to that extent, it clearly demonstrates how dependent we are on certain things in our lives.

When I look at today’s society and many of the people I meet and I look at the lives they lead, I’d say that in some ways we’re still in an energy crisis. And when I say “crisis” that’s hardly an understatement. So many of us have become somewhat lackadaisical about their lives. Lives in which they almost seem to have no true direction whatsoever.

Have you ever thought of your life as one long journey? If you were going on a long journey in your car, you would need a lot of fuel because that’s what keeps your car moving. And if your car were to run out of fuel, well guess what, you’re not going anywhere until you put more fuel in it. Some might even say that depending on the type of fuel you use, the better your car will run.

I think in some ways our lives are much the same way. If we don't give ourselves what it needs to keep going, we stop moving forward. And just like our cars, we have to keep replenishing it, and depending on what you replenish it with, the better. I see more and more people who are simply focused on the immediate future and the “instant gratification” way of life and not the long-term way of thinking. I believe that the things that provide instant gratification are very short-lived and don’t provide people with long-term satisfaction and leaves them empty and always searching for the “next thing”.

It’s like someone who decides to take that long journey, but doesn’t have a destination. Instead, just taking off and stopping here and there along the way without even knowing where they’ll end up. Making that kind of journey can be exciting and fun, but it also has a lot of risks because along the way, someone could end up in places that might put themselves at risk.

It seems to me that our faith journey is almost a reflection of a real life journey. As Christians, we believe in God and we believe that we are continually being given direction and we believe that we are being guided on our own journey by the Holy Spirit. But in order to make sure we are being guided in the right direction, it is vital that we seek out the things that will point us the right direction and ultimately get us to our final destination. Like someone driving a car who’s using a map, or a GPS to navigate them as a tool on their own journey, in our faith journey we can use things like books, music, videos, articles, retreats, workshops etc. to guide us in the right direction.

The reality is that in spite of all these extra resources that are available to us, there are times when it seems that we just don’t have the desire or the energy to seek out these things. This is what I’m talking about when I say that sometimes we can experience our own sort of “energy crisis” or “fuel shortage”. And I don't think that in most cases that it’s any fault of our own. Rather, life as we know it can often bring us down. Life can be filled with things that often weigh us down or get in the way. No matter how hard we try sometimes, stuff happens, whether it is our family, our friends, our jobs or whatever and those things can pull us down because they weigh so heavily on us. Something we should always try to remember when we feel this way, we are not the only ones. Remember, even Moses felt that way when he was so tired he finally said to God, “I cannot carry all this people by myself, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face my distress.” (Numbers 11: 14 – 15). Now that sounds to me like someone who feels like they are completely out of energy.

Try to think of it in terms of the cross that Jesus carried to his own crucifixion. It was a very heavy cross indeed, and you know what? It took him down…three times. How much energy do you think he was left with when he finally got to the top of that hill? I would venture to guess that he probably didn’t very much. But even in spite of all that, who did he look to in order to complete his journey? His father in Heaven, that’s who. He relied on God to finish his journey. And the beautiful part is that we can too.

When there are times in our life when we have nothing left to give, even to the point where we don’t even know how to pray or what to pray for, we are indeed in a true “energy crisis”. So, what can we do and where can we go to get re-energized?

There are a couple of things we can do. First and foremost, we should go to our nearest church and sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament. This is a holy place, the Holy of Holies. In some ways this can be like a re-fueling station for our hearts, minds and souls. Something happens when we go and just sit and gaze. Most people don’t understand how it’s possible but it is. When you go sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament, even if you are the only one in the entire church, you are not alone. You sit before the King of Kings. And because He knows you better than anyone, He knows just how weary you are and He asks you if He can carry your cross for a while. And when you give it to Him, the weight of the world is no longer on your shoulders. So many people I know will tell me that after a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, they feel rejuvenated and full of the Spirit. Even Jesus himself had someone help him carry his own cross on the way to Calvary, so let him carry yours for a while until your strong enough to carry your own.

Another powerful way to regain spiritual strength when you are weary and have nothing left to give is to ask people to pray for you. I probably don’t need to tell you the power in prayer, but there’s even more power when others join together in prayer. After all, this is one of the duties we are called to do as Christians. It’s why we have the Prayer Of The Faithful at Mass (the petitions), so that we join in together in prayer for others in need of prayer.

In the same way we don’t let our cars run out of gas, it’s a good idea to keep yourself energized before you reach the point where we are completely empty spiritually. Just remember, when you are having an energy crisis, turn to God, He will always give you a refill free of charge.