Wake Up, O Sleeper

"'Wake up, 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 because these days are corrupt." Ephesians 5:14-17

I recently sat down and conversed with a pastor from Mexico about what God is up to in his neck of the woods. It was inspiring to hear about a church that constantly exercises its trust in God to provide the bare necessities. They actively pursue people relentlessly as Christ pursues as when we're lost, but they don't have the means to provide for the people they take in. They are homeless, jobless, decaying in health in many instances, and without nutrition. This pastor takes every person in need he can get his hands on, brings them into a building with others to live, and trusts that God will provide the means to keep these people alive and healthy. He told me countless stories of how they would set the table with no food, sit down and pray that God would provide the food, and during the prayer a stranger would knock on the door with food to feed all 30-40 people.

As I talked with him, he noted that the American culture produces Christians who don't need God. We have welfare, money, food, jobs, cars, etc. Where he comes from, they have to rely on God for the very necessities of life. Because of that, we can be out of touch with what God is up to not only across borders but also in our own communities. We are (my self included) sleepers. The Son has risen and is on the move, and if we don't rise then we will be left out of the work he is doing.

There are symptoms of sleepers we should watch out for in our own lives. As sleepers, often we get wrapped up in dreams that aren't real or tangible. We allow ourselves to be distracted by circumstances of no eternal importance. One major symptom of being a sleeper is negativity. We find that our conversations are based on negative aspects about our circumstances and the people around us. We call attention to failures, bad decisions of others, the bad habits of acquaintances, the music on Sunday, etc. We have to guard against this in our lives! "Only people of weak character are won over by negativity. Criticizing is easy, but character finds goodness and brings attention to it." (Doug Fields) When the negativity in our conversations outweighs the goodness, we have likely fallen asleep and need awakened.

Another symptom of a sleeper is the lack of forgiveness in their hearts and lives. I have caught myself dozing off when I realize that I carry with me the weight of grudges and negative feelings toward people in my life. It's hard to follow Christ and keep up with his pace when we allow ourselves to be weighed down by the negative feelings we have toward others. Christ relentlessly pursues us and overlooks the numerous times we've had to ask for forgiveness, but instead he sees the potential of his children knowing their gifts and strengths.

When we allow things like negativity and grudges weigh heavy on our hearts and consume our thoughts and conversations, not only do we lose touch with Christ but we disregard his greatest commandments. Negativity and harsh feelings and words and thoughts toward others are the enemies of unity. God tells us that the whole point of the law is to help us understand that in order to be in the complete image of God we must be engaged with God and actively pursue right relationships with others. When our relationships are in disrepair, the image is broken and our relationship with God suffers.

These thoughts have been heavy on my heart lately as I recognize areas in my life where I doze off. I'm not allowing the light of Christ to shine on me. Fear is at the root of it. I'm afraid to get out bed and follow Christ because he takes some pretty radical journeys that demand a lot from me. I don't exercise trust. I'm not used to trusting him because I'm conditioned to believe that I don't need him on a daily basis. When I don't humble myself and forgive and pursue right relationships with those that I don't feel deserve it, I show Christ that I don't trust him to fill me up as I empty myself into relationships with people who may never give back. "If a brother or sister sins against you and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them." (Luke 17:3-4)We lack faith when we don't forgive. The very next verse in that passage is the disciples asking in response to this command for Jesus to give them more faith. They are intimately entangled. When we trust God, we follow His teachings and allow Him to work in our hearts and lives so that we can freely exercise forgiveness.

We ought to continually ask ourselves, "Are we sleeping?" We, myself included, must actively pursue Christ and follow him wherever he goes. When he forgives, we must forgive. When he speaks well of others and calls attention to great news and good actions of others, we must follow suit. The Son has risen, and death and sin have no victory over us now that the light of the Son shines on us. Let us live in our new found freedom following Christ wherever he goes.

(Written because of revelations I've had about myself, not because I'm calling anyone out! Help keep me accountable so that I don't fall asleep in my faith!)

Songs that help inspire me to wake up: Slumber by Needtobreathe, Christ is Risen by Matt Maher, Awakening by Switchfoot