A Lesson from My Wall Oven

A couple of weeks ago, my 3-year-old wall oven completely went out. The digital panel was blank — no clock, no glowing buttons, no light inside when I opened the door. It looked exactly like the power had been shut off.

I checked the breaker. It was fine. When my husband got home, he pulled the oven out and checked the wiring. Nothing obvious.

Meanwhile, I was already mentally pricing new ovens and reminding myself how our matching microwave — also only three years old — had died last year and cost us $800 to replace. I may or may not have given a short speech about how “they just don’t make things like they used to.” (While glancing at the 45-year-old hand-me-down refrigerator in the garage that still runs like a champ.) I was disappointed and frustrated.

When the repairman eventually came, he calmly diagnosed the problem to be a small blown fuse. The fix was under $100 for the service call and part.

All that stress over a tiny fuse. And that’s when I began to see a lesson.

How often in life does everything look dark and dead on the outside — when really it’s just a small internal issue? From the surface, it appeared the entire oven had failed. But the power source was still there. The wiring was intact. The appliance wasn’t ruined, thankgoodness. It just needed one small thing restored.

Sometimes we feel like that oven. Spiritually drained. Emotionally blank. Like the power is gone. But maybe the Source hasn’t left at all.

Jesus reminds us in the Gospel of John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches… apart from Me you can do nothing.”

The power doesn’t come from us. It flows from Him. And when we feel empty, dark, or discouraged, it doesn’t always mean we’re finished. It may simply mean something small needs attention. Perhaps time with Him, rest, repentance, or reconnection.

The breaker wasn’t flipped. The house still had power. And neither does God ever lose His power in our lives.

Sometimes what feels like a major breakdown is just a small repair waiting to happen. And oh, what peace there is in remembering that the Master Repairman knows exactly where the fuse is.

February 27, 2026 Morning Brew

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