Home Tools for your Journey April 3

Thursday, April 3

Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory…
—Luke 9:32a

We know how we feel when slumber has wound itself around us like graveclothes. Our eyes are bleary and our body feels as lethargic as a slug's. The last thing in the world we want to do is wake up. It's why the "snooze" button is such a popular feature on an alarm clock. We will do just about anything to continue as a warm blob in a semi-conscious state.

We can usually explain our penchant for sleep by looking at the track of our lives. If our lives are overwhelming and stressful, sleep is a natural and needful way to restore sanity and energy. If our lives are boringly dull from unbroken routine, sleep can shut out the seeming meaninglessness and perhaps even break a pattern or two. But, we miss out on glory. We end up smelling air freshener rather than fresh fragrant blooms.

In this, our soul is no different from our body. Our soul can be so "weighed down with sleep" that we are completely oblivious to the glory of God that is skirted around us like the finest, most beautiful brocade. Our soul has become fat and lazy, and we can justify it as cleverly as we justify staying in bed too long.

But when we are willing to wake up our heavy, sleepy souls, we will be amazed at what we will find. We will see the glory of God and the sleepiness of our soul will vanish. In one glance at the glory of heaven, our soul will be restored to life, and our body to health.

O God, nudge my soul from its sleeping place and awaken it to your glory.