It could be 3:00 AM, or any time at all. Is there some kind of schedule they’ve cooked up about which “watch” they’re going to take? If so, Violet generally has first watch and from then on it’s usually a combo with at least Samantha and one other who can always be counted on to be there as well. When one leaves, sure enough: immediately another comes to take her place.
To be restless and unable to sleep, whether with pain or just from wakefulness for no reason you can put your finger on, it is so comforting to know that someone is always there keeping watch with you, keeping watch over you – literally. In my case, I have the ongoing gift of this in the calming, loving eyes of our family of 4 cats. I haven’t been able to figure it out but somehow they know when I am awake, and at least one of them is always awake with me. Routinely when I am in bed wondering why I STILL cannot get to sleep, or get back to sleep, when I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the soothing, loving, golden amber-eyed gaze of Samantha who is awake and looking gently at me. A reach of my hand to stroke her soft fur is immediately rewarded by her deep, reassuring purr. As long as I’m awake, she’s awake, too. Really. There are many nights when we watch through the night together until the sky begins brightening with morning’s first light, opening into the colors of the of sunrise and the new day has begun.
Often I think of a short prayer that is sung during the last evening prayer service (called Compline) where I used to love to go on retreat: “Guide us waking Oh Lord, and guard us sleeping; That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.” There are so many Biblical references from which this can be drawn that I cannot list them all here, or it would consume the rest of my article. But all of us have the ongoing reassurance that we are NEVER alone, that the Lord “gives his angels charge over us” (from one of my favorite psalms, 91), that His Spirit never leaves us, is there to comfort us and give us peace. In our home, especially through long dark nights, our cats are one basic and physical reminder for me of the larger and real spiritual certainty that we are never isolated, that God is always present with us to soothe and strengthen us – whether we are awake or asleep. We are surrounded by and dwell within His peace.
So, what about when we’re awake? Ah. That’s part of what the fellowship of all of us in the Body of Christ is about. There is a simple song entitled “I will be Christ to you” which spells out how in every kind of way, large and small, anonymous or face to face, in which we are to participate in the *waking* part of being present and ministering Jesus to others – to “be Christ” to them. “I’ll be His hands, to do what I can; because He has loved me too…I will be Christ to you.” It by no means indicates that somehow the abiding power of the Holy Spirit is only a nocturnal thing and we’re on our own in the day time. No, this is about how, in living a life of obedience, yoking ourselves with Christ, we can participate actively and meaningfully in the work of the Spirit in assisting others. It is a joyful and deeply satisfying thing to get beyond our own lives, our own needs, issues and situations, to use whatever gifts God has given us to “be Christ” to others: to show love, to provide comfort and assistance in real and tangible ways to and for them.
You may think these are nice words, but wonder how do you do this in real life? This is about living a generously Jesus-centered life, ladling oneself out to others in even the smallest ways (perhaps small to you – to those on the receiving end, you never know when it may be a life-line of hope) kind words of appreciation, a warm smile when you aren’t necessarily “feeling like it”, mercy and compassion to others as in giving them the benefit of a doubt, or not retaliating when someone has been unkind, going out of your way just a little bit to do something unexpected for someone else, re-evaluating what is really important, re-aligning your priorities and giving more of the finances God has entrusted to you are a few of the basic yet often most challenging ways of helping others in “being Christ” to them, in participating in the work of the Holy Spirit. They are also the most powerful ways of renewing yourself, discovering that deep “peace that passes all understanding” and reaping a harvest of true and bountiful joy in your life as a result. October is really the time of a kind of renewal. We think the leaves are dying as they lose their spring and summer green. Actually, you are seeing their true colors in the vivid gold, red and rich hues which are otherwise hidden by the green chlorophyll they bear the rest of the year.
This October, why not take on the challenge of this same renewal for yourself in being Christ to others. Open your heart and join in asking the Lord to “Guide us waking” and know that your reward in the here and now will be much more rich than you can possibly imagine :-)
To be restless and unable to sleep, whether with pain or just from wakefulness for no reason you can put your finger on, it is so comforting to know that someone is always there keeping watch with you, keeping watch over you – literally. In my case, I have the ongoing gift of this in the calming, loving eyes of our family of 4 cats. I haven’t been able to figure it out but somehow they know when I am awake, and at least one of them is always awake with me. Routinely when I am in bed wondering why I STILL cannot get to sleep, or get back to sleep, when I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the soothing, loving, golden amber-eyed gaze of Samantha who is awake and looking gently at me. A reach of my hand to stroke her soft fur is immediately rewarded by her deep, reassuring purr. As long as I’m awake, she’s awake, too. Really. There are many nights when we watch through the night together until the sky begins brightening with morning’s first light, opening into the colors of the of sunrise and the new day has begun.
Often I think of a short prayer that is sung during the last evening prayer service (called Compline) where I used to love to go on retreat: “Guide us waking Oh Lord, and guard us sleeping; That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.” There are so many Biblical references from which this can be drawn that I cannot list them all here, or it would consume the rest of my article. But all of us have the ongoing reassurance that we are NEVER alone, that the Lord “gives his angels charge over us” (from one of my favorite psalms, 91), that His Spirit never leaves us, is there to comfort us and give us peace. In our home, especially through long dark nights, our cats are one basic and physical reminder for me of the larger and real spiritual certainty that we are never isolated, that God is always present with us to soothe and strengthen us – whether we are awake or asleep. We are surrounded by and dwell within His peace.
So, what about when we’re awake? Ah. That’s part of what the fellowship of all of us in the Body of Christ is about. There is a simple song entitled “I will be Christ to you” which spells out how in every kind of way, large and small, anonymous or face to face, in which we are to participate in the *waking* part of being present and ministering Jesus to others – to “be Christ” to them. “I’ll be His hands, to do what I can; because He has loved me too…I will be Christ to you.” It by no means indicates that somehow the abiding power of the Holy Spirit is only a nocturnal thing and we’re on our own in the day time. No, this is about how, in living a life of obedience, yoking ourselves with Christ, we can participate actively and meaningfully in the work of the Spirit in assisting others. It is a joyful and deeply satisfying thing to get beyond our own lives, our own needs, issues and situations, to use whatever gifts God has given us to “be Christ” to others: to show love, to provide comfort and assistance in real and tangible ways to and for them.
You may think these are nice words, but wonder how do you do this in real life? This is about living a generously Jesus-centered life, ladling oneself out to others in even the smallest ways (perhaps small to you – to those on the receiving end, you never know when it may be a life-line of hope) kind words of appreciation, a warm smile when you aren’t necessarily “feeling like it”, mercy and compassion to others as in giving them the benefit of a doubt, or not retaliating when someone has been unkind, going out of your way just a little bit to do something unexpected for someone else, re-evaluating what is really important, re-aligning your priorities and giving more of the finances God has entrusted to you are a few of the basic yet often most challenging ways of helping others in “being Christ” to them, in participating in the work of the Holy Spirit. They are also the most powerful ways of renewing yourself, discovering that deep “peace that passes all understanding” and reaping a harvest of true and bountiful joy in your life as a result. October is really the time of a kind of renewal. We think the leaves are dying as they lose their spring and summer green. Actually, you are seeing their true colors in the vivid gold, red and rich hues which are otherwise hidden by the green chlorophyll they bear the rest of the year.
This October, why not take on the challenge of this same renewal for yourself in being Christ to others. Open your heart and join in asking the Lord to “Guide us waking” and know that your reward in the here and now will be much more rich than you can possibly imagine :-)
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