Grounded

We have an electric fence around a big blackberry patch. We want to put our goats in there to eat the bushes, but there is one problem. The fence isn’t working! Do you want to come along and help me find out what the problem is?

Let’s start out by the gate. Right here are the wires connected to insulators. See how they are spaced evenly and go over to the insulators on that fence post. That is important. If a wire is touching another wire or a bush, the fence will stop working. Instead of giving an electric shock to keep the goats in, it’s electricity goes into the ground. That’s why we call it being “grounded.” Let’s look closely for any problems.

“What about this?” you ask, pointing to the bottom wire.

The insulator is broken on this fence post. That is a problem, because the metal post will ground the wire. Listen, do you hear it?

Snap, snap, snap.

“Why is it snapping?” you ask.

That’s the sound of the wire “shorting out” and getting grounded. I’ll turn off the electricity and we will fix it.

I’ll pull off the broken insulator and you can help me put on the new one. See, it clamps onto the post like this. Now we will use these pliers and wrap the wire into the slots at the end. Perfect.

“Let’s see if it works now,” you suggest.

Not until we check the rest of the fencing, just in case there is another one grounded somewhere. We should tighten these loose wires, too. We don’t want them to get grounded, do we?

“My friend gets grounded a lot,” you say. “He’s not allowed to play or do fun things when he’s in trouble with his mom.”

That’s one way of being grounded, alright! I’m thinking there is a lesson for us, here. Do you know that the devil wants to ground you and keep you from having fun, too?

“I didn’t know that.”

Well, think about it. God wants us to be living with peace and joy, just like these wires are supposed to be “alive” with electricity. But when a problem comes along, it makes us feel grouchy or worried instead, doesn’t it? Yes. That’s how you get grounded. All your joy and peace just get lost in the problem and disappears! That’s why God has special insulators to help us keep from being “shorted out” by the problems. I’ll give you a hint. One starts with “thank.”

“Thankfulness?”

Yes, and trust and obedience, too. Next time you are worried or upset, check to see if your insulator is broken!

We are ready to turn the fence on again. To test it out we can hold a grass blade against the wire. Be careful not to get your fingers too close—if it is working, you’ll feel a little shock.

“It’s working!” you say.

Great! Now we can put the goats in.