Clay in the Hands

I have come to see that there are two kinds of sleep.  We were created to need rest.  The human body needs sleep to survive.  We may try to convince ourselves we need less in order to do more – but the truth is we need a balance.  So slumber is a good thing – bringing refreshment and renewed energy.

But there is another kind of sleep that is not what God intended.  Ben Campbell Johnson calls it “life sleep” and it seems to be an epidemic in our world from which no one is immune.  We allow ourselves to become so preoccupied with the things – desires – attractions of the world that we become numb to the realities of existence.  We walk through our days in robotic fashion devoid of vibrant meaning and fulfillment.

We need to wake up.  Wake to the reality of God’s love.  Open our eyes to the salvation, grace and mercy offered by Jesus.  We need to shake off the slumber of this world to truly experience the life God created us to live.

So today, don’t hit the snooze button of life – wake up and live!

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Yesterday, I addressed the need to make room for God.  I challenged each of us to see the Lenten season not so much as a time to give something up but rather a time to make room.

Each Easter season, we are reminded to walk with Jesus – to Jerusalem – into the city for the joyous entry – to the upper room for one last meal – to the garden where he would agonize the coming day – to the hill where he was crucified – to a tomb where he would not be for long – to the sea where he would ascend to the right hand of God.  We are encouraged each Easter season to reflect on our need to walk with Jesus daily.

For some, this past year has been a beautiful journey of walking closely with the savior.  But for some, this past year has been a struggle to stay focused.  We have not been as faithful to staying close as we would have liked.  We have allowed other things, some good, some not so good, to distract us.

It is the call of Lent to return to a closer walk – a call to a renewed focus.  It is a call to remove the distractions from our lives in order to see the Father clearly.

Today, we commit.  Today we set our minds on being more intentional with our daily lives – intentional about making room for God – intentional about not allowing anything to come between us and the Father.

Are you ready?

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A couple of years after moving into our current home, we decided it was time to purchase a new sofa and a couple of chairs for our den.  So we began the search and finally agreed on a set.  But then came the hard part – making room.  We found ourselves with the need to get rid of some things so that the new would fit.

In a similar way, we crowd our lives with things that ultimately leave little room for God.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday – the first day of the season of Lent.  While Baptists have not traditionally observed Lent, I think there are some things we need to be thinking about as we move toward Easter.

When we think of Lent, we immediately think about what we are going to give up, and that is certainly a part of the season.  But instead of thinking about Lent in that way, what if we approached Lent with a different question.  Instead of asking ourselves, “what will I give up?” let’s ask ourselves, “where can I make room?”

You see, Lent is really about recognizing all the things we put in our lives to bring ourselves comfort or peace or happiness and realizing that none of those things can ever do what we expect.  Lent is recognizing that we have pushed God out of our lives and we need to make room to allow God back in.

So where will you make room for God over the next forty days?

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