Stay Awake

At Heart Coffee Roasters in Portland, OR

We’ve all been there.  We’ve experienced the reminders to stop sleeping.  Whether it’s the 5:00am wake up call from the front desk, the alarm on our phone going off or the light being flipped on, each one beckons us to open our eyes and join the land of the living.  At some point, we have to make a choice whether to hit the snooze button and pull the covers back over our head or to wake up and live the day.

But anything exposed by the light becomes visible-and everything that is illuminated becomes light.  This is why it is said: “Wake up, O Sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”  Ephesians 5:13-14 NIV

Spiritually speaking, we live in a culture that can numb our souls and lull us to sleep.  There are practical distractions like TV, status striving, social networking and addictions.  There are also the wear and tear of anxieties and worries, lethargy, apathy and ignorance.  The list goes on.  There are many things that keep us disconnected from God and each other.  God can wake us up, but we choose whether to actually wake up and see what is going on in and around us, or to hit the snooze button and slip back into the same old familiar story.  The comfortable, pull the covers over your head kind.

Being spiritually awake is a core component to living a beautiful life in Christ.  So how do we stay alive and aware of the living and loving presence of God in a world that can discourage us from doing so?  

Here are a few ideas:

Learn God’s Word.  Study, inquire and explore what God has to say.  Ask God for a passion for His Word when you read it.  Ask questions and stay curious.

Connect with Others.  Doing anything shoulder-to-shoulder helps.  Make space in your life to hear one another's stories, share God’s word together and pray for one another.  Let’s encourage each other on in our spiritual journeys.  Accountability is key.

Pray.  Whatever is going on in your life, that’s where God is often moving and speaking.  Keep connection with God.  Spend time talking to God about your life and then listen and wait for His answer.  Ask for the Holy Spirit to join you throughout your day and to awaken your soul.

Look for Beauty.  Make a deliberate effort to notice the beauty in creation and the created.  The precious people in your life, the taste of a delicious meal, the gorgeous part of the country you live in or the sounds of a baby’s laughter.  Engage your senses and experience the beauty of God.

My prayer is that the Lord would open our eyes to what He would have us see and know, and that the Holy Spirit would invade our souls and wake us up to what this life is really about: that God is alive and active and ready to let us start living awake and with passion!