Plugging In

"Mom, my aquarium light is broken." Natalie tapped the top of her fish tank. "I guess my new guppy is going to be stuck in the dark."Mom set her coffee cup on the counter. "But that tank is brand new. It can't be broken.""It just won't turn on." Natalie clicked the light switch attached to the aquarium cord."Let me see." Mom checked under the aquarium. "It's plugged into the wall.""Maybe the light bulb burned out." Natalie shrugged.Mom shook her head. "It's an LED light. They're supposed to last a long time. When was the last time it worked?""Last night." Natalie clicked the cord switch again. "See. It doesn't work.""Wait a minute." Mom grinned. "The cord is plugged into the wall, but is it plugged into the aquarium?""Um…no!" Natalie found the plug had detached from the light. "It must have wiggled loose when I fed Shimmer his dinner.""Plug it in and try again," said Mom.The light clicked on, and Shimmer swished across the fish tank, expecting to be fed."That's it!" Natalie laughed. "It wasn't plugged in.""You know, people need to be plugged in too.""What do you mean, Mom?""A life without Jesus is a life spent in the dark. But when we turn to Him for forgiveness of our sins and trust Him as our Savior, it's like a light turns on in our mind and heart. We finally know who God is, and we become connected to Him.""Just like clicking on a light switch?""That's right, Natalie. But we need to be plugged in, or we'll be stuck in the dark.""How?""When we trust in Jesus, He gives us the Holy Spirit, who lives in us as proof that we belong to God. He connects us to Jesus and shines His light in our lives." Mom placed a hand on Natalie's shoulder. "Would you like to trust in Jesus, Natalie? I can pray with you if you want."Natalie watched Shimmer glide by in his tank and nodded. "Sure, Mom. I don't want to live in the dark." -Chanda Griese