Wake Up Sleepy Gene
“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:34-36 NASB1995
A mother stands in the yellow and purple wildflower field next to her house, the wind blowing through her perfectly-styled hair, her long dress flowing. Her heart is bursting with love for the eight children frolicking here and there. Their giggling intermingled with birds singing are the only sounds she can hear. Her eyes lock with the kind, unwavering leader of her clan. A warm hand meets her lower back, and the realization that life couldn’t be more perfect settles in her mind—no worries, just blue skies. Her house over the way has been cleaned top to bottom, and everything is in its place, including dinner waiting in the oven.
Smells of pure deliciousness entice the happy family home. Mom has worked hard all week, not only on the house but also on filling her eight young vessels with knowledge beyond their years. They all are intimately aware of God’s blessing and fullness. Not only can they recite the scriptures forward and backward, but their every action is in perfect accordance. “Oh, what an accomplishment,” she thinks as she basks in all the goodness of the moment. Peaceful, calm serenity encompasses her entire being until suddenly a child’s scream fills her ears and she is shocked back into reality.
How often we wander off into a dreamland of perfection. There’s nothing wrong with having a dream for our family. It can be inspiring to imagine those perfect days when all the work has been done and everyone is joyful. But we shouldn’t think for a second that we can actually bring about reality through fantasizing. Spending time in a made-up world is dissipation. Dissipation, in the biblical sense, is defined as a process in which energy is used or lost without accomplishing useful work, a friction causing loss of mechanical energy. This sin is mentioned right alongside drunkenness, and like drunkenness it is debilitating.
What was this mother supposed to be doing at this exact moment? A child’s screaming shocked her back to reality, proving that she was not alert and intentionally watching what was going on around her. The reality of the situation was that it was breakfast time and Johnny had stolen Ricky’s drink. The knock-down drag-out fight ended in teeth marks on Johnny’s back, little Annie drenched with milk, slippery floors, and a perturbed momma whose day is now in upheaval. Johnny needs comforted, Ricky needs scolded, Annie needs changed, the other children need contained, the floor needs mopped, and if someone doesn’t tend the stove, breakfast will be a fried crispy mess that will take twice the time to scrub off.
What a beginning to the day. School will now be postponed at least an hour, maybe two, just to get all of this back in order. There’s no way she’ll have all the chores done by the time her husband gets home, and the kids will have no time to go out and play–again.
Her rash, disappointment-fueled behavior wears on the children and teaches them impatience and joylessness. Why would any of her daughters want this type of confinement and duty? Why would her sons want to be married after watching mommy lay into daddy as soon as he walks in the door, blaming him for not disciplining them better so her days could go smoother? Her behavior likely leaves them all in doubt that God’s word is infallible when it comes to family and marriage. This seed takes bitter root, tainting the family's faith in its entirety all because she drifted off into a desire–not even a wrong desire, just one that wasn’t tied to the moment she was in.
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”
1 Peter 5:8-9 NASB1995
Satan takes full advantage of these times when we’re asleep in dreamland. Count how many sins accumulated through her day and were fed in the home. Calculate the energy lost and how the sins will continue to drain the family if not addressed. One might be tempted to think, “It was just one day off course. Surely they’ll barrel through and do better the next.” That may be true, but James 4:14 says, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” Our time on earth is very limited, and our time with our children is even more so.
Romanticizing life into something it isn’t doesn’t just waste our precious time, it also steals our joy, making the real work that it takes to care for our homes, our children, and our husbands seem unfruitful. Perfection on this side of heaven is not possible. Spending too much time indulging in this behavior makes one’s expectations far exceed what can actually be obtained and provides only discontentment to fuel daily actions. Having a bad day like our lady here isn’t the end of the world, but the whole catastrophe could have easily been avoided.
Luke 21:34 says, “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down by dissipation…” Dissipation is heavy and depressing. How many times do we hear wives and mothers say, “I just need to get away,” “I have no energy,” or “I’m just so depressed.” All of these are ungrateful, heavy statements that can be chalked up to the fact that our reality doesn’t add up to our fantasy. Stop fantasizing and start working presently, gracefully, joyfully, and intentionally toward your goals to make them a reality from which you don’t feel the need to escape.
Every parent knows children are very needy. They are that way on purpose. They have much to learn, and every need translates into an opportunity to teach. If our thoughts stay present in the moment and we are thankful for the work placed before us, we are capable of handling situations as they come about. This mom would have known Johnny didn’t have a drink yet and was thirsty. She could have simply told him to say please and wait patiently. School would have happened on time, and chores could have been completed before Daddy got home. She would’ve been able to greet him with a smile, smells of a delicious dinner, and a clean home. Every one of these tasks would take a moment-by-moment choice to keep her hands busy in the real things of life. By being fully present she could intentionally instill grace and joy into her children. She would not have to impatiently rush through the day distracted and grumbly because her life didn’t measure up to that romantic fantasy. The time and energy she put into the fantasy resulted in nothing but idle hands and wasted time.
Be realistic with yourself; are you really pouring the time you tell yourself you are into your children, your husband, and your home? As humans we’re so easily deceived. We imagine things we should be doing so much we trick ourselves into believing we actually do them. We put the perfect plan together for that closet that so desperately needs organized, but we never open the door. We buy the best curriculum money can buy but never actually use it to teach. We meal prep for the week and then leave the food sitting in the fridge while ordering pizza for the third time because it’s just too much work to actually put it together. Think of all the thoughts and energy wasted on good intentions that never come to fruition. Day after day comes and goes. The closet still threatens an avalanche upon opening, the kids haven’t learned anything other than procrastination, and the fridge is full of rotten unnameable things that need to be thrown away. All a waste. All dissipation of valuable resources.
Some red flag statements that signal you might be trying to imagine yourself into reality include “I just wish the kids would listen,” “I just wish my house was clean,” or “I just wish he appreciated me.” Are you being consistent in discipline? Are you working as hard as you can to clean? Are you doing the things your husband has asked you to do? There is no magic genie; wishing won’t get the results you need. Do the work mindfully, moment by moment, and if you are doing all you can do, trust God with real results in His time. Realize this isn’t a happy thirty-minute sitcom, and your fantasies aren’t any more real than the shows on TV. Your sanctification, your children’s sanctification, and your husband’s sanctification all take time and won’t be completed here.
Maybe you aren’t married and you think none of this even pertains to you. Everyone has a plan and a hope for their life. What are your goals? If you don’t have any, ask God to encourage you forward. Consider the Westminster Catechism’s first question: What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Imagining a life you do not have does not glorify God. Put your hand to the plow and do not look back. Do not stand immobilized by fear or intimidation of not achieving your perceived romanticized dreams. Know that His plans are perfect for you and will come to life in everyday work. Take the hits that sanctify and grow you. Do not waste time in dissipation and discontentment. If God allowed us our own way all the time, we would end up like a child allowed to play and eat junk food all day, spoiled, ungrateful, and with no realization of our need to be saved. Many things happen to us that we don’t like or understand.
Romans 8:28-32 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
Jesus, God’s only begotten son, our Savior, fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Mathew 26:39) His cup was not merely a bad day. He was beaten and hung from a cross. Our Lord had to endure this for the ultimate plan. How shameful it would be for us on the day he returns if we spend our precious time lost in dissipation, ungrateful and unchanged. Do not waste a second because we never know when that day will come.
“Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’ ””
Mark 13:35-37 NASB1995
Luke 21:34-36 NASB1995
A mother stands in the yellow and purple wildflower field next to her house, the wind blowing through her perfectly-styled hair, her long dress flowing. Her heart is bursting with love for the eight children frolicking here and there. Their giggling intermingled with birds singing are the only sounds she can hear. Her eyes lock with the kind, unwavering leader of her clan. A warm hand meets her lower back, and the realization that life couldn’t be more perfect settles in her mind—no worries, just blue skies. Her house over the way has been cleaned top to bottom, and everything is in its place, including dinner waiting in the oven.
Smells of pure deliciousness entice the happy family home. Mom has worked hard all week, not only on the house but also on filling her eight young vessels with knowledge beyond their years. They all are intimately aware of God’s blessing and fullness. Not only can they recite the scriptures forward and backward, but their every action is in perfect accordance. “Oh, what an accomplishment,” she thinks as she basks in all the goodness of the moment. Peaceful, calm serenity encompasses her entire being until suddenly a child’s scream fills her ears and she is shocked back into reality.
How often we wander off into a dreamland of perfection. There’s nothing wrong with having a dream for our family. It can be inspiring to imagine those perfect days when all the work has been done and everyone is joyful. But we shouldn’t think for a second that we can actually bring about reality through fantasizing. Spending time in a made-up world is dissipation. Dissipation, in the biblical sense, is defined as a process in which energy is used or lost without accomplishing useful work, a friction causing loss of mechanical energy. This sin is mentioned right alongside drunkenness, and like drunkenness it is debilitating.
What was this mother supposed to be doing at this exact moment? A child’s screaming shocked her back to reality, proving that she was not alert and intentionally watching what was going on around her. The reality of the situation was that it was breakfast time and Johnny had stolen Ricky’s drink. The knock-down drag-out fight ended in teeth marks on Johnny’s back, little Annie drenched with milk, slippery floors, and a perturbed momma whose day is now in upheaval. Johnny needs comforted, Ricky needs scolded, Annie needs changed, the other children need contained, the floor needs mopped, and if someone doesn’t tend the stove, breakfast will be a fried crispy mess that will take twice the time to scrub off.
What a beginning to the day. School will now be postponed at least an hour, maybe two, just to get all of this back in order. There’s no way she’ll have all the chores done by the time her husband gets home, and the kids will have no time to go out and play–again.
Her rash, disappointment-fueled behavior wears on the children and teaches them impatience and joylessness. Why would any of her daughters want this type of confinement and duty? Why would her sons want to be married after watching mommy lay into daddy as soon as he walks in the door, blaming him for not disciplining them better so her days could go smoother? Her behavior likely leaves them all in doubt that God’s word is infallible when it comes to family and marriage. This seed takes bitter root, tainting the family's faith in its entirety all because she drifted off into a desire–not even a wrong desire, just one that wasn’t tied to the moment she was in.
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”
1 Peter 5:8-9 NASB1995
Satan takes full advantage of these times when we’re asleep in dreamland. Count how many sins accumulated through her day and were fed in the home. Calculate the energy lost and how the sins will continue to drain the family if not addressed. One might be tempted to think, “It was just one day off course. Surely they’ll barrel through and do better the next.” That may be true, but James 4:14 says, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” Our time on earth is very limited, and our time with our children is even more so.
Romanticizing life into something it isn’t doesn’t just waste our precious time, it also steals our joy, making the real work that it takes to care for our homes, our children, and our husbands seem unfruitful. Perfection on this side of heaven is not possible. Spending too much time indulging in this behavior makes one’s expectations far exceed what can actually be obtained and provides only discontentment to fuel daily actions. Having a bad day like our lady here isn’t the end of the world, but the whole catastrophe could have easily been avoided.
Luke 21:34 says, “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down by dissipation…” Dissipation is heavy and depressing. How many times do we hear wives and mothers say, “I just need to get away,” “I have no energy,” or “I’m just so depressed.” All of these are ungrateful, heavy statements that can be chalked up to the fact that our reality doesn’t add up to our fantasy. Stop fantasizing and start working presently, gracefully, joyfully, and intentionally toward your goals to make them a reality from which you don’t feel the need to escape.
Every parent knows children are very needy. They are that way on purpose. They have much to learn, and every need translates into an opportunity to teach. If our thoughts stay present in the moment and we are thankful for the work placed before us, we are capable of handling situations as they come about. This mom would have known Johnny didn’t have a drink yet and was thirsty. She could have simply told him to say please and wait patiently. School would have happened on time, and chores could have been completed before Daddy got home. She would’ve been able to greet him with a smile, smells of a delicious dinner, and a clean home. Every one of these tasks would take a moment-by-moment choice to keep her hands busy in the real things of life. By being fully present she could intentionally instill grace and joy into her children. She would not have to impatiently rush through the day distracted and grumbly because her life didn’t measure up to that romantic fantasy. The time and energy she put into the fantasy resulted in nothing but idle hands and wasted time.
Be realistic with yourself; are you really pouring the time you tell yourself you are into your children, your husband, and your home? As humans we’re so easily deceived. We imagine things we should be doing so much we trick ourselves into believing we actually do them. We put the perfect plan together for that closet that so desperately needs organized, but we never open the door. We buy the best curriculum money can buy but never actually use it to teach. We meal prep for the week and then leave the food sitting in the fridge while ordering pizza for the third time because it’s just too much work to actually put it together. Think of all the thoughts and energy wasted on good intentions that never come to fruition. Day after day comes and goes. The closet still threatens an avalanche upon opening, the kids haven’t learned anything other than procrastination, and the fridge is full of rotten unnameable things that need to be thrown away. All a waste. All dissipation of valuable resources.
Some red flag statements that signal you might be trying to imagine yourself into reality include “I just wish the kids would listen,” “I just wish my house was clean,” or “I just wish he appreciated me.” Are you being consistent in discipline? Are you working as hard as you can to clean? Are you doing the things your husband has asked you to do? There is no magic genie; wishing won’t get the results you need. Do the work mindfully, moment by moment, and if you are doing all you can do, trust God with real results in His time. Realize this isn’t a happy thirty-minute sitcom, and your fantasies aren’t any more real than the shows on TV. Your sanctification, your children’s sanctification, and your husband’s sanctification all take time and won’t be completed here.
Maybe you aren’t married and you think none of this even pertains to you. Everyone has a plan and a hope for their life. What are your goals? If you don’t have any, ask God to encourage you forward. Consider the Westminster Catechism’s first question: What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Imagining a life you do not have does not glorify God. Put your hand to the plow and do not look back. Do not stand immobilized by fear or intimidation of not achieving your perceived romanticized dreams. Know that His plans are perfect for you and will come to life in everyday work. Take the hits that sanctify and grow you. Do not waste time in dissipation and discontentment. If God allowed us our own way all the time, we would end up like a child allowed to play and eat junk food all day, spoiled, ungrateful, and with no realization of our need to be saved. Many things happen to us that we don’t like or understand.
Romans 8:28-32 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
Jesus, God’s only begotten son, our Savior, fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Mathew 26:39) His cup was not merely a bad day. He was beaten and hung from a cross. Our Lord had to endure this for the ultimate plan. How shameful it would be for us on the day he returns if we spend our precious time lost in dissipation, ungrateful and unchanged. Do not waste a second because we never know when that day will come.
“Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’ ””
Mark 13:35-37 NASB1995