I grew up in an old farm house. I honestly cannot remember whether we had a fridge. In my mind, the first fridge we owned was the one mom purchased once we moved into the house dad built. When one is small, you don’t worry about such things as furniture or stoves and fridges. It’s not your responsibility to hassle about such things. Yet, as one grows older these things are noticed and soon one becomes aware of how important they are for everyday living.
Well, we have a fridge/deepfreeze unit in the kitchen. The deepfreeze is the smaller compartment and is at the bottom. A few months ago I tried to pull out the bottom draw of the deepfreeze without success. It was frozen in. This was strange, as the unit is a self-defrosting one. I switched off the power and allowed the ‘frozen’ part to thaw until the draw was lose enough to remove. Without properly inspecting the cavity, I put the draw back and we were ‘good to go’.
Over the last two weeks, I felt the fridge not being as cold as it ought but did not worry about it too much. On Thursday, we purchased a three liter milk at Woolies and started to use it on Saturday. When I made Jenny coffee yesterday, the milk was sour. Eish, I thought, can it be that Woolies milk went off so soon? The use by date was only 18 or 19th of August. Normally, their milk lasts for ages! I was scheduled to return the milk today but when I opened the fridge door it was warmish inside. That’s the reason the milk went sour. I immediately opened the deepfreeze door, and the bottom draw was ‘cemented’ solid as a rock of ice.
My terrible realization is that either the ice buildup has prevented refrigeration or the ‘motor/pump’ has died. We unpacked the unit completely, cleaned it and allowed the freezer section to defrost. At the time of writing this note, it is almost defrosted. In the morning I am going to switch it on and see whether it works or not. Naturally, if it does not refrigerate, we have two choices. The first is to have it repaired (is it worth it?) or to replace it.
As soon as you don’t have a fridge, you quickly notice the importance of one. The two tubs of yoghurt, like the milk, needed to be dumped. The tomatoes might not make it. The carrots look like they might struggle. Most of the other things ought to survive without refrigeration. Only when there is no fridge do we realize the importance and necessity of a fridge. Although the immediate weather forecast is colder weather, the hotter summer climate is fast approaching and refrigeration is a must.
Fridges and Deepfreezes are made for specific purposes. The one is to keep meat, fish and vegetables frozen for use days or weeks or months down the timeline, while the other is for keeping perishables used daily cold to extend their life span. Similarly, clothing has a purpose, and so do food and liquids. Family and friends have a purpose, and so does work, entertainment and rest. Cut back or cut out these things and soon you will struggle physically, emotionally and socially as a person. Just as our fridge started to pack up, so will you without the necessary ingredients to sustain your body and mind.
But, there is another aspect to our lives that all too often we tend to neglect! It is the soul … the spiritual dimension … the part that makes us different to the animals … uniquely different. We can provide leadership and communication and love and friendship to organize ourselves and families and careers and businesses and finances and education and societies and country. All these are special and even the cleverest animals cannot do what we humans can do! Think of electricity and water in the home, or vehicles and petrol, or jumbo jets and spaceships! But, even with all these differences between us and animals, the most unique difference is that we are able, through the Lord Jesus Christ, to know that there is one, true, living God and to have a relationship with this God! Without this knowledge, we are spiritually frozen and unable to function the way God intends.
We might be good politically, scientifically, astronomically and geographically, we might be able to invent, create, education, provide, care, protect … but we lack the highest ability, the ability to enjoy the ultimate intimacy with the Divine One. Consider the following verses and the issues they expose for our benefit.
Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
Ge 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
First, we see that God created us for his glory. Second, we see that God created us to bear His image. Third, we see that God created us for His pleasure. Being His image bearers bring Him glory and through this He is pleasured (see verse 31)! Fourth, we see that God created us to procreate a godly offspring that would image Him, bring Him glory and pleasure. Fifth, God created us to rule over His creation for Him.
Sin scarred these five reasons for God creating man … sin wants personal glory; sin wants to image self; sin wants self-pleasure; sin does not want godly offspring; sin wants to rule creation for self. This is where we are locked rock solid like the deepfreeze drawer and like the fridge unable to refrigerate. As the unit was unable to fulfil its purpose, so through sin we cannot fulfil God’s purpose for ourselves as man (humans). Our relationship with the fridge is unrealized whilst refrigeration takes place. Once it stops, we realize there is a problem. The relationship with God is spiritual … and though mostly not realized, sin is a spiritual matter causing deep problems without us realizing it. For us to function properly, we need a healthy relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We need a daily intimacy that progresses bringing glory and pleasure to God. This is only possible through Jesus Christ. Know Jesus, know fulfilment. No Jesus, no fulfilment.
Dear God, thank You that I can know You. Thank You that I can be intimate with You. Thank You that I can bring You glory and pleasure. Help me to keep functioning spiritually so that I never stop loving You. Amen.