I remember as a child hearing the words, “Wake up sleepy head.” That was my mom’s way of beginning the process, gently, of waking me up. The process became less gentle the longer I hesitated. Sometimes we drag a bit getting ourselves up in the morning. But today, we need to remember that it’s time to wake up.
One of my readings earlier this week has continued to stay with me and on my mind. I have been reading through the book of Romans for some time now. On Monday, I picked back up in chapter 13. In this chapter, the apostle Paul reminds us that we should do our best to love one another. In fact, his words echo the words of Jesus in that loving God and loving others is the heart of the law. So Paul emphasizes that we are to love others as part of following Jesus.
And then he says this in verse 11:
“And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
Understand the present time – the hour has come to wake up. Those words have resonated through my soul like never before. Is it possible that I have gone to sleep? I am afraid the answer to that question is yes – I have at least been dozing off. It is time to wrestle with what it means to really love others and do some soul searching to make sure I am actually doing it.
As I look at our world, I see a lot of sleep walkers. The alarm has been going off for a while. It’s time to wake up and be about doing what Jesus called us to do – the deeds of the light, as Paul goes on to say. May we live today with the full understanding of this present time and wake up to the reality that our world needs Jesus.
Clay in the Hands 