Oh my! I am so sleepy! I can hardly keep my eyes open. I just had a satisfying meal with my sweetheart, the sun is shining in the window, and I am riding in the car. All three of these things tend to make me sleepy. I would love to go home and take a nap. Not a good combination when I have so much work to do. Maybe I should just “goof ball” all day. Unfortunately, that is a luxury I can’t afford today.
Well, time to wake up, sleepy head! Take deep breaths and start moving. Fortunately, it was Saturday, so no one could see what I was doing to try to stay awake. I walked up and down the halls of the school raising my arms up and down trying to get my blood pumping. Since my work involved a lot of desk work, I would sit down for a while and my eyes would become heavy. Here I go again! Walking up and down the halls like a crazy woman trying to wake up.
Have you ever felt that way? Your body is so sleepy you can’t get it to cooperate with what you need to do. If that isn’t bad enough, I think it is even worse when my mind won’t wake up. Some people call it a “brain freeze.” I seem to be having a lot of those lately. Have you ever gone into a room and can’t remember why you went in there? If you are honest, I bet you have. I have hunted for something I misplaced countless times. It frustrates me to waste time looking for something because I didn’t put it back where it belongs. Our brains were created to be magnificent organs, but sometimes I don’t put mine to good use.
It is frustrating when I do stupid things that affect me, but it is sad when I do things that affect others. When my slackness causes someone else pain, that is inexcusable. When my testimony becomes sluggish, that affects everyone around me. It is time to wake up and stop being a sleepy Christian!
What is a sleepy Christian? Perhaps a sleepy Christian is one who just goes along their merry way and doesn’t pay attention to what is going on around them. Maybe the reason abortion was approved was because we were sleepy Christians. Do you think that we no longer are able to have the Ten Commandments posted at schools because we sat idly by and allowed others to dictate our standards? I wonder? Is a sleepy Christian one who goes to church and mingles with their friends, but doesn’t stand against wrong? Maybe sleepy Christians are why our world is in the condition it is in today. It would be interesting to know how many babies would not have been killed if all those who call themselves Christians had stood when abortion first began.
That brings us to another question. Does everyone who calls themselves “Christian” truly know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Are they Christian in name only? What does it really mean to be a Christian?
To identify yourself as a Christian means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and you have dedicated yourself to following His will. You have asked for His forgiveness and desire to please Him in all that you do. I think we in America take the word Christian too lightly. In other countries, people who call themselves Christians are ostracized, imprisoned, or executed. It seems most American Christians of our century have no convictions.
When I have witnessed to my students, the two most common excuses I hear for not becoming a Christian are “I don’t want to have to give things up” and “I don’t see how any Christian is any different than me.” Young people are having a hard time finding anyone who acts like a Christian. The Bible says in I Peter 2:9 that we should be a peculiar people. We should be different than the unbelievers. Someone who has dedicated Himself to Christ should be peculiar.
I was shocked to learn that only twenty percent of Americans are in church on any given Sunday. That means eighty percent of Americans feel there are more important things to do on the Lord’s Day. Yet, according to ABC news eighty-three percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. Over forty percent claim their faith is important to them and attend church at least once a month. Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?
Another statistic that was startling was that 4,000 to 7,000 churches close down every year. Why is that? What is happening? There are still dedicated Christians in America! I know several personally. Is their number declining? Do you think churches are closing because many have gotten away from preaching the Word? Is it because many who claim to be Christians are living without convictions? I guess that would make us question if they are truly saved. If we call ourselves Christian, then we should follow Christ’s teaching and tell the world about our Savior.
Romans 14:7 says, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” Everyone is an influence on others. We influence our coworkers, friends, and most importantly, family. Have you ever considered that we are the reason people aren’t coming to Christ? We are the reason churches are closing their doors.
The unbelievers of this world can’t tell any difference in the lost people and the saved people. They have better things to do with their time than play church.
Christians need to be a greater influence on this world. There have been some positive things happening in our government over the last few weeks, but time will tell. We do not know what the future holds, but anything positive is welcome. I hope that America does become great again, but wouldn’t it be so awesome if the Christian community would become great again. That is the answer to all our problems!
How can the Christian community become great again? It depends on you and me! Let’s get started making a difference today!
Mrs. Worthington has five children and ten grandchildren. She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.