Waking Up

Posted:  March 22nd, 2012 (3:13pm)

I’m not a sleep scientist, but I have some informed opinions about waking up.  As the father of four I have determined that if allowed, children would totally rearrange the natural cycles of life.  They would sleep half of the day and stay up half of the night.  This might seem a benign adolescent preference and not worthy of  parental adjustment, but I have found my life and theirs tending towards disorder when this practice is encouraged.  So I have determined within a reasonable margin of error how much “luxury sleep,” as I am now calling it, someone with the name of Kelly should have and created a MGUB.  That stands for a Must Get Up By time.

Because three of my children are boys (of whom I am very proud),  and I preach vehemently against the “man child” phenomena, I have decided that they are old enough to be burden bearers, not burden makers.  They assure me that none of their friends have to work like they do on their breaks and Sundays, and they probably hope that none of their friends parents are reading this blog, but if they try to make me feel like the odd-parenet-out I tell them what I’ve always told them, “It doesn’t matter to me what your friends parents are doing.”  You’d think I would learn – or maybe them?

How did we get this rule?  It is purely the result of  failure on behalf of the parents.  For years Collene or I would come into their room and rouse them from their slumber. Can you imagine how wonderful life would be, if for the rest of your  adulthood a gentle hand was placed on your shoulder and  a kind voice brought you to consciousness morning by morning.  Well it never really worked that way – but it could have if they would have gotten up the first time we called them.  Eventually after the third or fourth time they struggled and appeared as if only with colossal effort they had conquered the giant of sleep.   They wanted to be treated like heroes for just getting out of bed.

There were mornings when I tried to rouse them,  that they would actually speak with me, fall back asleep, and later proclaim that I had never woken them.  But eventually I caught on.  I noticed that on mornings when they had an appointment they really wanted to keep, they managed to get up on their own and out the door on time.    So as I mentioned I resorted to my MGUB.    And they know that if they don’t want to walk back to college or catch a ride with their friends they are going to have to rise and shine.

I’m quite confident that spiritual drowsiness  isn’t much different.  We’d all like to slumber in the comfort our current stop over on the journey of life.    Snuggled between our luke warm habits and hobbies we would rather not hear the call to restart our spiritual engines.      But that’s where we are.  The 10 Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are calling us to a new conversion and a closer walk with Jesus.  I don’t want a crisis to become my divine alarm clock  buzzing in my ear.   I’d much rather listen to the still small voice which gently points out my need and provides His solution.     It’s time to wake up.  It’s time to work.  It times to be about our Father’s business.  Won’t you join me?