Wake Up!
November 26, 2007 at 10:13pm
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." (Isaiah 60:1)
When I was in kindergarten we had nap time. Being an energetic 5 year old made this time of day very difficult for me. If I slept I might miss something wonderful, and I didn't want to take that chance. Now, the most magical moment about nap time was when the teacher would walk around and see who was "sleeping the best." Whoever was chosen got the glory of being the "Wake-Up Fairy" for that day. This lucky kid got to walk around and wake everyone else up. Oh how I wanted to be chosen as the wake up fairy! However, being the insomniac kindergartner deprived me of that privilege. But at least I got to watch the whole process from my little plastic mat...being already awake and all...=D
Have you ever noticed that a lot of people seem to be sleep walking? They walk around like zombies, mindlessly moving from one thing to the next. They go to work but wish they were home. They go home and complain about work. Then they top it all off by zoning out into the television or a book. Or they drown every moment with people and places and things, never really taking the time to be still. Then they wake up the next day and do it all over again. I have been guilty of this myself...just going through the motions without any real thought about what I am doing. My question is: Where is the joy? Where is the sense of wonder and amazement that we had as little kids? That pressing desire to stay present for every single moment, just in case something amazing happens? Where is the hope in something greater than ourselves? Greater and more wonderful than our wildest imagination? Hope in a God who will never disappoint? I would dare say that there are many people who get to the end of their lives and wonder, what have I been doing all of this time?
It is time to wake up! No more statements like: when I get married; when I get out of debt; when the children are grown; if I had a better house, a nicer car, a higher paying job...THEN I can REALLY start living. We must stop waiting to live because this moment in time is the only one we have. Living in a constant state of waiting will only rob us of the enjoyment that is to be had right now. And when we are robbed of enjoyment, we become those zombies I described earlier, just trying to get through the now so we can make to the later.
May we be challenged to wake up and look at what is right in front of us. Nine times out of ten we will see that it is PEOPLE. People who need us, who love us and are also in desperate need of a wake up call. How can we wake them up if we, too, are sleeping? We must wake up and be the light of the world that God has called us to be. If not us, then who?
"for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: 'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity..." (Ephesians 5:14-16a)
My friends, it is time to become a Wake-Up Fairy!
When I was in kindergarten we had nap time. Being an energetic 5 year old made this time of day very difficult for me. If I slept I might miss something wonderful, and I didn't want to take that chance. Now, the most magical moment about nap time was when the teacher would walk around and see who was "sleeping the best." Whoever was chosen got the glory of being the "Wake-Up Fairy" for that day. This lucky kid got to walk around and wake everyone else up. Oh how I wanted to be chosen as the wake up fairy! However, being the insomniac kindergartner deprived me of that privilege. But at least I got to watch the whole process from my little plastic mat...being already awake and all...=D
Have you ever noticed that a lot of people seem to be sleep walking? They walk around like zombies, mindlessly moving from one thing to the next. They go to work but wish they were home. They go home and complain about work. Then they top it all off by zoning out into the television or a book. Or they drown every moment with people and places and things, never really taking the time to be still. Then they wake up the next day and do it all over again. I have been guilty of this myself...just going through the motions without any real thought about what I am doing. My question is: Where is the joy? Where is the sense of wonder and amazement that we had as little kids? That pressing desire to stay present for every single moment, just in case something amazing happens? Where is the hope in something greater than ourselves? Greater and more wonderful than our wildest imagination? Hope in a God who will never disappoint? I would dare say that there are many people who get to the end of their lives and wonder, what have I been doing all of this time?
It is time to wake up! No more statements like: when I get married; when I get out of debt; when the children are grown; if I had a better house, a nicer car, a higher paying job...THEN I can REALLY start living. We must stop waiting to live because this moment in time is the only one we have. Living in a constant state of waiting will only rob us of the enjoyment that is to be had right now. And when we are robbed of enjoyment, we become those zombies I described earlier, just trying to get through the now so we can make to the later.
May we be challenged to wake up and look at what is right in front of us. Nine times out of ten we will see that it is PEOPLE. People who need us, who love us and are also in desperate need of a wake up call. How can we wake them up if we, too, are sleeping? We must wake up and be the light of the world that God has called us to be. If not us, then who?
"for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: 'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity..." (Ephesians 5:14-16a)
My friends, it is time to become a Wake-Up Fairy!
