Living Life Awake



Sleepwalking through life. It's just so easy to do. Going through the motions. Just surviving the day, then the next, and the next.

I know you've been there. You might be there now.

so Where is the joy?
     and How do you wake up?

Living life awake begins with your breath.

Stop reading. Close your eyes, and take a slow, deep breath. ... Go ahead. I'll wait. Do it.

It feels so good. You needed that. A deep breath awakens your senses and brings you to the present moment. Do it again. And one more time. Until you find yourself smiling, if only for a fleeting moment, on the inside.

Now. You are awake to this moment. When you are present in this moment, you are able to experience life wide awake. You are able to receive what God has for you. He has LIFE for you. In. each. moment. Right now. Life.

When I'm sleepwalking through life, all I'm focused on is getting to the end of that meeting, the end of that phone call, the end of that chore, the end of the day. I long for the moment when my head hits the pillow. Then I just dread the sunshine that will come too soon. My head swims with worry (about the future) and regret (over the past). I strip myself of life itself, because I am not living any moment in it. I am never here. Never present.

So I must breathe. Especially when I'm running 90 miles an hour. I must allow myself to be. here. now.

When you're folding the never-ending laundry, what can you receive from the moment? Breathe deeply. Enjoy the fresh scent of clean clothes. Experience the sense of accomplishment as the pile becomes stacks. Acknowledge the little lives who wear those socks and that favorite shirt, who dry their bodies with that fluffy towel and enjoyed muddying up those shorts yesterday.

When you are running errands and just trying to shorten that list, what can bring you joy in the moments? Breathe deeply. Notice the carefree squirrel who crosses the alley in front of you: "I can be worry-free like him. God cares for me even more"... or Look in the faces of the clerks and the people in line with you: could they use a smile or a gracious offering?

When you are overwhelmed with the weight of failing relationships or surmounting debt or your own poor choices, how can you endure the present moment? Breathe deeply. Notice your breath. and start counting...Blessing #1: You are alive. Be grateful for that which you cannot manufacture. It is simply a gift: your breath. Blessing #2: You are loved dearly by the One who created you as a priceless treasure. Blessing #3: You can feel the pain of your trials, breathe through the pain, and eventually make it to the other side. Believe it. You will make it. You are alive in this moment, and God is redeeming your circumstances in this very moment. You are choosing to live life awake and not sleepwalk through it!

Live life awake to the present moment. This now is the only reality. This now is the only place where God brings you the abundant life he so desperately wants for you. This now is the only place where you can let God's love flow out of you.

Breathe.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Amen.