Wake Up!

 By Jessica Edwards

Uh, oh. I could see the flashing blue lights in my rear view mirror and knew I had done something wrong. What in the world did I do wrong? I knew it couldn't be speeding because I saw the sign right in front of me that said “SPEED LIMIT 45”, and I was not going much over 45 mph. What I had neglected to see was the speed limit sign behind me that said “SPEED LIMIT 30”. Hmm... There I was just driving along paying very little attention to the world around me. 

 

I think of Ephesians 5:14-17 (KJV) “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” 

 

To “awake” means to... well... wake up. How often in life have I been on a type of life autopilot? Get up, get dressed, read my Bible, pray if I have time, kiss my husband goodbye as he leaves for work, get the kids up, homeschool, do laundry, etc., and I didn't consciously, intentionally be awake and focused while I was doing all of those things? How often in life have I not recognized the eternal value of doing the will of the Lord in the everyday things?

 

To “walk circumspectly” means to look very carefully as to how we are walking. It's kind of like looking around with a 360 degree view. If I am not being careful as I walk, I am a fool. I am unwise.

 

Then there's the “redeeming the time” part of these verses. Am I being intentional about my “deposits” in life? Am I buying up time, rescuing time in the way in which I live? Am I even paying attention?

 

The Lord used a little speeding ticket to really get my attention that day, and I still carry it around in my purse as a reminder to be more intentional, to be more circumspect, and to be more redeeming of the time, the days, and the resources He has given me to steward. 

 

Our lives are not our own because we have been bought with a price, a price we could never repay, so let's glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits which are His. (1 Cor. 6:20)

 

Jessica Edwards is a wife and homeschool mom who loves Jesus and His Word. She lives in the beautiful north Georgia mountains where you can find her hiking or trying to grow veggies in her vegetable garden.