Shocked in Williamsburg…

If you have not been to Colonial Williamsburg, you really should go.  The historical restoration is amazing and you see people doing life as they would have done in Colonial times.  For example, it humbling to see bags of rags at the printers and learn that paper in Colonial times was made from cloth, not wood.  You go to the carpenter’s shop and realize the tedious process of turning a log into lumber.  I was fascinated by the blacksmith shop (my ancestry?).  To see a man pulling at the bellows all day to keep the fire hot, and then swing a hammer with skill to turn out metal, makes you appreciate modern manufacturing.   

I have been to Colonial Williamsburg before, but each trip was a brief excursion.  But I returned recently to visit.  My son and his wife are history nerds; you do not want to play historical trivia against them.  They had given me a trip to Williamsburg for my birthday pre-COVID, and we finally made the trip this fall.  Of course, my amazing grandson was with us.  His favorite part of Williamsburg was petting the horses and rolling in the grass.

 The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has done a magnificent job recreating a picture of life in colonial times.  Most of the workshops only had natural light; except for a few accommodations to modern necessities, like indoor plumbing, the historical area is as close to original as it can be. 

We toured to the apothecary.  A bright young woman explained to us the uses of various remedies and medicines in colonial times.  After listening to her presentation, I am glad I was born in the era of modern medicine.  We shuffled back and saw the colonial medical instruments, then turned the corner to find our way to the exit. 

I saw a woman in colonial dress standing on her tiptoes, trying to change a light bulb.  This was definitely not a colonial light bulb; rather, it was a concession to the safety of the guests, illuminating a dark corner corridor, before the turn to the sunlight coming through the front windows.  She was muttering under her breath: “It won’t go in.”

It is hard to replace a lightbulb on tiptoes.  Being about eight inches taller than she, I smiled and said, “Let me try.”  She replied, “Oh that would be so nice!”

I took the lightbulb, and started to turn it, but like the woman, I found it was not going in.  I have encountered this problem before.  It meant the socket was rotating as I was turning the lightbulb.  The solution was simple: cupping the light bulb in the palm of my hand, I reached up with three fingers to hold the socket.  I began to turn the bulb with the palm of my hand while holding the socket in place. 

I made one full turn, when I hit the bare wire.  I could feel the current shoot down my right arm and down my right side.  As I have shared before, it is amazing what goes through mind in a micro-second.  My first thought – and I am no making this up – was “I did not think Colonial Williamsburg would have something that would shock you.”  My second thought was “Let go!”  My third thought was to yell, “Aurgghhhh!”   

It was my third thought that attracted the most attention.  My wife quickly asked, “Are you alright?”  I assured her I was.  The Colonial Lady asked, “What happened?”  I explained I was shocked by a bare wire in the fixture and an electrician should replace the fixture.  My son and daughter-in-law expressed concern and I assured them I was fine.  This was not the first time I had been shocked, just the latest.  Any farmer with electric fence gets shocked regularly when he forgets and grabs hold of a strand of electric fence stretched across a pasture.

 My grandson seemed to enjoy the moment.  He smiled and I am sure he thought, “PaPa sure is funny.”  I live to entertain.

 I have no lasting effects from my shocking experience in Colonial Williamsburg.  But my experience there made me think about people encountering our living God.  When you get close to God’s power, you feel it.  You experience his presence.  Some people decide they do not want that kind of power in their lives.  They vow never to get close to God again.  A smaller number of people realize this is the power they have needed all their lives.  They come back, because they know without God’s power, they are going to be stuck in a dark corridor. 

I am not suggesting holding onto God is like grabbing a live, bare wire.  I am saying God’s power will either shock you or light up your world.  Your choice.