Waiting In The Dark

Waiting in the Dark

When I drove up the driveway in the early afternoon and hit the garage door opener, nothing happened. Thinking I hadn’t pressed it hard enough, I pressed again. Nothing. Then I thought, Power’s out. It was. And it would be for the next ten hours.

Because of the time of day, I couldn’t be sure if my neighbors were affected or if the outage was my own special gift. I let Burley out in the yard for a run, grabbed my phone, and dialed the number on my last utility bill. Busy. Busy the next fifteen to twenty times I tried it. Finally it rang through to the phone-tree gauntlet, which recognized none of the identifying information I was prompted to give. Flunking out of Phone Tree 101, I was transferred to a breathing human.

The representative said she was sorry for the inconvenience, but her screen showed that power should be restored to my area by six o’clock that evening. I gathered up my candles and matches, looked for a flashlight, and then phoned a friend to see if she might meet me for an early dinner.

When I arrived back home at dusk, there was still no power. Burley wasn’t bothered—he was just glad to see me. But I was beginning to be agitated. For the next six hours I tried phoning the utility company for an update. Nothing. When my call finally went through, I waited on hold for forty-five minutes, then hung up to go recharge the phone in the car.

It was dark outside. It was dark inside. And I was in the dark about when that might change. I read by flashlight. I called my sister. I walked outside a few times to see who else on my street was affected.

Here’s what I learned waiting in the darkness: helplessness bothers me. Being ignored by your energy provider is no fun. Knowing that others are in the dark too doesn’t make much difference. The moment that the lights go on (even if it’s midnight) is satisfyingly sweet. And no matter how dark my house gets, I’m certain that somewhere, Someone sees.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Psalm 139:11-12, ESV