Can you make this machine run? A friend advised me that a snow blower that I am trying to keep running might be beyond repair. “It is cheaply made,” he explained. I was surprised to hear this discouraging report because the paint is still shiny. It is only being used for a second year, but getting it started and keeping it running has made me hope it doesn’t snow. But is it really hopeless?

Before I made funeral arrangements for this snow blower I decided to ask another friend for his opinion. His answer was immediate. “Of course it can run. All an engine needs to run is fuel, compression and spark.” I became intrigued with this second opinion and eager to learn from this innovative artist for whom anything is possible. He taught me about the carburetor and I watched as every part was cleaned, installed and checked. When he was satisfied he pulled the cord for a manual start and the machine roared to life.

I went home and looked up the definition of fuel, compression and spark. This is what I learned. Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Compression is force that tends to shorten or squeeze something, decreasing its volume. The term spark ignition is used to describe the system with which the air-fuel mixture inside the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine is ignited by a spark. The resulting controlled explosion delivers the power to turn the reciprocating mass inside the engine.

Considering all of this leads me to ponder the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. The Spirit fills me with energy that can be released through me in His time. That with which He fills me in the morning is compressed by the experiences of the day He ordains so, that when the energy is released, it has increased in power but decreased in volume. (Especially if it refers to my talking.) And finally, the Holy Spirit is the spark that prompts action and delivers power.

Time will tell which mechanic’s appraisal of this snow blower was correct, but I am grateful for the mechanical lesson that has provided me with an analogy of how the Holy Spirit works in my life.

 Lord, produce a controlled explosion in and through me today.