What Turns You On?

It was dark! I couldn’t see a thing. I scrambled, well maybe I tried to scramble, but really I just tipped-toed cautiously exiting my bedroom, touching and grabbing on to every unfamiliar wall, corner, window sill, door and doorknob to get to the kitchen where my flashlights and candles were stored. I’ve lived in my house for five years and thought that I knew each nook, cranny, uneven bump in the carpet and every raised sliver of curling linoleum on the floor, but I was wrong. Additionally, this unforeseen power outage seemed to create a lapse in my memory as to where I had placed the furniture. As if I were intoxicated, I collided with chairs, smashed into tables, banged into my antique rocking horse, tripped over the hassock, knocked down what I believe was the rod iron candle holder and stumbled into my computer stand. When the power went out I felt a little helpless, to my dismay complete helplessness seemed to be lurking just around the corner awaiting my fearful call.

Although evening had made its quiet entrance, my blinds were still open from the lovely afternoon sunshine and I could see that the other homes on my street had full power. What happened to mine? What happened in my little corner of the world to cause the power to cease? I successfully made my way to the candles and flashlights and with that temporary light, I braved a path to the circuit breaker box in the garage, lamentably not without a few bumps and bruises. As I stood peering into the electrical box and commenced to investigate the wiring and the breakers, in the midst of this strange power outage I thought of YOU. Actually, I thought of me first and then you.

When I was about four years old, most of my elementary years, well now that I think about it… even in high school and college, I loved being in front of people. I fondly remember the Christmas celebrations as a young girl in which I would spend hours laboriously preparing for my personal holiday recitals performed in front of the Christmas tree for the family (whether they liked it or not). From as far back as I can remember I enjoyed the spotlight. I wouldn’t say I was a “Ham” but I might concede to being a small pork chop. Speaking, performing and writing to motivate others endowed me with power. It provided joy and satisfaction that is difficult to comprehend or verbalize. It’s what turned me on and what I was pre-wired to do.

As I stood curiously in front of the breaker box and ran my fingers down each level, to my surprise the main breaker had been tripped. I flipped the lever back, engaged the connection and with one little flick of a switch the power was restored. I know you are probably scratching your head trying to figure out how this relates to you. Well, here it is… It’s really quite simple. Many of us have experienced a personal or professional loss of power; the main breaker has been tripped and it’s dark inside our house. The cause is unknown, but time and circumstances have allowed us to short circuit “that” which furnished us with such joy, hope, and excitement. We have settled and consciously or unconsciously decided to stay in the dark and not tap into the source of our energy, that “urge” that gave reason to rise in the morning and not allow us to sleep at night. It’s what we were pre-wired to do and what turns us on.

Ladies, most of us have discovered what turns us on in the most intimate areas of our lives, but because we have been conditioned to become more familiar with the needs and desires of others we neglect, push aside and sometimes disconnect from what gives us complete satisfaction. Just as I fumbled through my house in the dark, reacquainting myself with furnishings and space that was familiar minutes before, but were now obstacles in my path, I challenge you to seek out or rediscover what you were pre-wired to do before you were born. Explore the connection you have to yourself and God that makes you most effective and energized. You may encounter a few bumps and bruises as you wrestle with the darkness seeking to locate your main circuit breaker, but once you flip the switch and allow the power to flow in your life, your personality, your gifts, talents and purpose in which you were pre-wired, you will suddenly rediscover exactly What Turns You On and your power will light up the entire house.