Are we awake now?

I've lost nothing, personally.  Not a family member or friend.  Not even a community member or a friend of a friend.  Yet, my stomach churns and the tears flow.  

I find myself asking... Do I get it now?  Do I recognize the frailty of life?  Is this what it takes to wake up a 30-something wife and mother to the reality that she will eventually lose every relationship and every earthly thing - either when they pass on to eternity or when she does?  


Everything on this earth can and will be shaken.  Do I really understand that now?  If I do, how then shall I live?

Is this a wake-up call to YOLO living? You do only live once, after all.

Is this a wake-up call to pursue a cause?  Gun control? Anti-gun control? Better care and more options for those with mental illnesses?  Surely some action should be taken, after all.

Is this a wake-up call to love my family more fully? Do I need to become more involved in my son's school? Devote more time to family activities? Visit relatives more frequently? Family is important, after all.

Is this a wake-up call to be more observant? Do I need to pay closer attention to the people around me who may show signs of being unstable? Should I think back on every person I've known through the years and see who might fit a profile? After all, If I don't notice, who will?

Over the coming days and weeks, Americans will be encouraged to do all of these things by a variety of people we have likely never met nor will we ever meet - newscasters, political figures, heads of movements - and we may even be challenged to examine some of these things by our own family and friends.  We are awake now, and when you are awake it is time to get up and do something.

So what shall we do?  How shall we live in a world where horrible things  happen without a single warning?  Here are some suggestions the Bible offers for living "fully awake:"

1. Know God.  At the end of the day, everything in this world can be shaken and taken.  Make it a point to know the only One who cannot.  There is no excuse for not getting to know Him.  Romans 1:20 NIV: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."  The unshakable, unchangeable God of the universe invites you to know Him:  James 4:8-10 NIV - "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

2. Be Kind, Forgiving and Joyful.  Pray and Give Thanks to God.  Once you know God and you are steadily learning more about Him more, you inevitably want to know what He wants from your life.  What is his will?  1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 - "Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."


3. Spread His Hope, Lovingly.  Don't keep His light to yourself.  The world is a dark place.  Don't just be glad for the Holy Spirit's unquenchable flame in your life; share it with others.  1 Peter 3:15 NIV - "But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect."  


We can do these things, and by God's grace, though outwardly we may be wasting away as the world turns on, inwardly we can be renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).  


It will take people who are being inwardly renewed day by day to keep up the good fight - to live life knowing we only have so many days on earth, to respectfully and passionately pursue causes worth pursuing, to love our families selflessly, and to be truly observant and mindful of those around us.


"For this reason it says, 'Awake, Sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." - Ephesians 5:14

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