Why is manna just enough for you?
I’m about to hit 6 months of off-grid living now.
Everyday is a new challenge and learning experience adjusting to this new, well sometimes old way of living.
I have to keep up with the weather in order to plan ahead and adjust when I do my laundry, when I run the dishwasher, vacuum etc when there are stretches of cloudy/rainy days to conserve battery power to keep running the essentials like the refrigerator and water pump.
Some nights I just use candles for lighting to conserve electricity.
It’s putting out a cozy vibe on a snowy winter night as I type this.
Heating in general takes a lot of energy and the electric floor heating I originally planned as my main heat source drains the battery too much, so I installed a tiny wood stove.
Now logging and chopping wood is a regular chore routine.
Now many of you might read all this and be thinking what a pain it must be to live off-grid.
But as my friend put it, I am living instead of just “existing” amidst a world of convenience comforts.
It feels like I’m intimately interacting with His creation in so many levels as I live moment to moment based on what comes my way.
And it reminds me of the manna story in Exodus 16 where God hears the grumbling of the wandering Israelite people and through Moses tells His people that He will provide bread in the morning and each person shall collect just enough for the day.
…when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed
Exodus 16:18 NLT
I confess that I wish I had installed a little larger wood stove, but the tiny stove keeps my house at about 58 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which with cozy sweater and wool socks, it’s just enough.
The longer winter nights means less time to use solar and more reliance on battery overnight, but it makes me conscious about not wasting energy by leaving unnecessary lights on and just using enough.
I can’t take long showers because of my small water heater so I turn the water off while sudsing up and rinse off and I get just enough hot water.
But all this is made possible with the sun, rain, and downed trees from Him. No electric or gas or water bill. And it feels amazing!
I’m honing skills like axe chopping, while learning new skills like candle and soap making using the spent wood ash from heating the house. I can’t wait until spring to start a vegetable garden.
Disclaimer, I still use gas for my car, running chainsaw and other equipment, I still shop at grocery stores and end up with trash that I can’t compost, so please don’t think I am trying to portray myself as someone that has cut all reliance on fossil fuels or anything like that
