Kolleen Lucariello is one of my friends who always sees a spiritual application in the simplest of life's situations. In this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, she reminds us of a Bible story about "watchfulness," and how it might encourage us to be more alert to opportunities to help others.
“How’d you like the ending, hun?”—my husband teased as I awoke from my slumber.
"I’d done it again," Kolleen says. "I'd waited weeks to see who would win the finale of our favorite voice competition, only to sleep through the final hour."
HA! I (Dawn) have done that too! So frustrating! But Kolleen couldn't just leave it there, and I'm glad she didn't.
Kolleen continues . . .
Sleep—necessary for the wellness of our bodies, and yet, it seems it can also carry quite a cost when missed opportunities are its aftermath.
Some a bit more significant than others. I mean, seriously, missing the finale of a television show due to a snooze on the couch won’t destroy a life. However, falling asleep on the job, might.
Sometimes, we can be robbed of sleep and then there are also occasions, unfortunately, when sleep can rob us.
My heart was hit with this thought as I read through the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I saw with fresh eyes how Peter, James, and John may have felt after they realized the last hour they’d spent with Jesus—before His arrest—had been spent sleeping.
Can you imagine?
When I find myself in disbelief, my mind ruminates, so: perhaps they mulled over and over again, “My last hour with Jesus and I fell asleep.” He asked me to “Stay here and keep watch with me” and I fell asleep (Mark 14:34b). Not once or twice, but three times.
I could have watched with Him.
I could have done what He asked of me.
Instead, I fell asleep and missed the last hour I had to spend with Him.
What did Jesus ask Peter when He found him sleeping? “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?”
A question that feels like it holds the disappointment of unmet expectations.
When His heart was “overwhelmed with anguish and crushed with grief” and “It felt as though He was dying” (TPT), Jesus needed His friends to keep watch and wait with Him—the same friends that had boasted of their willingness to suffer and die alongside Him.
- Wait with Him as He wept in the Garden.
- Watch with Him in His distress and anxiety.
- Pray for the battle He was about to endure.
Now, I don’t presume to believe I would have done anything different; my flesh isn’t any stronger than Peter's, James', or John’s.
In fact, as I contemplate the events of that night in the garden, I question my own ability to remain steadfast and alert when someone needs me like Jesus needed them.
Perhaps I, like Peter, James and John, have good intentions to remain alert and watch, but instead gave into the temptation to drift off in sleep—sidetracked by my own schedule or crisis while allowing my own comfort to dictate my level of commitment.
Quite possibly, if I were to lean in and listen closely, I might hear Jesus whisper, “Could you not watch and pray for them even one hour?”
OUCH!
Quite possibly, because Jesus knew His need in the garden that night, God is asking us to be watchful of others in their own hour of need.
Watch now before the hour passes.
Remain AWAKE for:
Someone whose soul is crushed by the weight of grief?
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4, NLT).
Someone whose anxious thoughts are trying to overtake them?
“For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance” (Philippians 1:19 NLT).
Someone paralyzed by fear and begging God for the strength to endure the battle?
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).
Friends, it’s time to review the last hour. Did sleep rob you of an opportunity to be present with someone in their time of need?
Remain watchful that your own exhaustion isn’t used against you as a temptation to lull you to sleep.
Remember, it’s your flesh that is weak, not your spirit.
Let your spirit lead the way!
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16 NLT).
Let’s produce some wonderful results.
Kolleen Lucariello, #TheABCGirl, is the author of #beYOU: Change Your Identity One Letter at a Time and is the Co-Director of Activ8Her, Inc. She is
passionate to every woman realize her identity in Christ and live accordingly. Kolleen and her hubby, Pat, make their home in Central New York. She’s the mom of three grown children and Mimi to six incredible grands. For more information about Kolleen, visit www.speakkolleen.com
Graphic adapted, courtesy of Victoria Borodinova at Pixabay.