Awakening

Well, I'm not sure this is history in the making. Of course I am speaking of my inaugural blog entry.

You see, I've been resisting the call to "blog". Blog is short for web-log, for you non-techies... kind of a glorified online journal, but "out there" for the whole world to see (in my case, feel free to place emphasis on "out there"). Honestly, I am not certain that I have either sufficient time or energy to add to the growing library of collective online chatter, but, I am realizing that I do indeed have (thank you, Dave M.) something to say. So... Vamanos:

Wake up! (That is meant as a section heading rather that an imperative. Let's hope my first blog isn't already putting you to sleep). No, I mean to discuss "awakening". What better topic to launch my infant blog into the online world?

Call me crazy, if you will, but I feel God speaks to believers. Yes, through His Word, possibly through other believers, and occasionally through a direct message. (I've been directly spoken to only once, but that is a topic for another blog entry.) Most often I hear the voice of God only through "earthly translation". This blog entry describes one of those such encounters: the Heavenly alarm clock.

I have lost count of the number of times I've set my alarm, expecting to rise early for an important event/meeting, etc, only to awaken 2-15 minutes ahead of my set alarm. This occurs most often when I must arise before the sun, which is certainly unnatural for me, let me assure you. In fact, I've been known to head to bed, with great intention to arise early and hit the ground running, only to chicken out and set a late alarm, thinking, "Well, if God wants me to get up early, He'll just have to wake me Himself." And He does.

Sometimes my heavenly alarm clock takes the form of a fussing child in the wee hours, a passing truck outside, or strangely enough, silence. What's even more amusing is that I must also have a Heavenly snooze alarm, since my reluctance to arise is almost always answered by another summons, sometimes an incessantly-chirping bird, a purring cat that will not leave me alone, or a visiting child at my bedside. In any case, I consider these little summons to be my calling to arise.

I must obey and answer the call, for there is work to be done. It is more than just a spiritual morning greeting, but carries with it the tug toward action. I may not always answer chirpily, but I always answer, even if my answer is a growling, coughing, eye-wiping, half-stumble out of bed to the bathroom. Hey, no one ever said we had to be chipper when rising from the dead.

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Wake up, O sleeper; rise from the dead, 

and Christ will shine on you. 

--Ephesians 5:14 

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.

--Romans 13:11