The Common Grace of Gadgets and Doohickeys

July 13, 2026 · 1 min read

There’s a wizard character in the Harry Potter series whose work involves close contact with technologies created by ordinary humans. Like any wizard, he has little need of all this: With a flick of the wand and a mouthful of hocus-pocus, he can work wonders. Yet he finds endless delight in rooting around inside old Read more...

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Δήμητρα Παπαγεωργίου

The article reminded me of my son who spends hours scrapping old electrical appliances in the garage even though he could throw them away. He's not a wizard, but he enjoys seeing how simple things work. It's good that it reminds us to appreciate these daily "magics" that God gives us.

Daniel Baker

My boy does the exact same thing in our garage, pulling apart old toasters and radios instead of chucking them. Reminds me that even the ordinary gadgets around us are a bit of common grace, like the article says. Good to be reminded.

Petru Dumitrescu

My nephew does the same thing when he comes from the city in the summer – he dismantles an old mixer or an alarm clock on the table in the shed, although I would have given it straight to scrap metal. I love this idea of the "common grace" of the simple things, that in the end they also keep us close to the wonder that God put into creation.

Grace Bennett

Yeah, my little brother used to do the same with broken kettles and old phones in our shed. It's funny how taking something apart makes you appreciate the cleverness that went into it. Do you ever try fixing any of them with your boy?

Ilie Ionescu

Yes, Petru, that's exactly what my oldest boy does with an old radio I brought from the attic - he takes it apart piece by piece on the table in the garage, even though I said to throw it away. This common grace really connects us to the little wonders of creation, as you say. What does your grandson do after taking them apart, does he manage to put them back together?

Petru Munteanu

Yes, Ilie, your boy looks like me when I was 14 when I was taking apart an old tape recorder that my father brought from the attic. My grandson, after disassembling, manages to put about two pieces back together, the rest remains on the table until he's had enough. How about you, have you tried teaching him to fix it all?

Bogdan Barbu

Yes, Petru, it was exactly the same with us with those old cassette players. I taught Ilie to fix them step by step, but now my nephew and I try something else: I just give him a screwdriver and let him struggle on his own until he comes for help himself. Have you ever put everything left on the table back?

Alexandra Rusu

Yes, Petru, it was exactly the same with my boy when he was 14 years old – the cassette player remained in pieces on the kitchen table until late at night. I didn't have the patience to teach him step by step, but now with my grandson I try to just show him how to put on one piece and let him figure it out. Did you ever manage to finish assembling everything that was left on the table?