"Awake" | Reflection by Patricia Thurston

To be awake is to be aware, which can be difficult. I find comfort in routine, and I love thought-habits that ease my conscience. We all want to live in a social structure that guarantees food, shelter, and safety. People want their lives to have meaning. The challenge is that our world is changing faster than we have time to adapt. We’re increasingly vulnerable to natural and human-caused environmental changes. Technological innovations alter relationships. There are so many people, and not enough resources. We’re in a fearful era. Fear often leads our hearts to focus on the things we could lose, driving us to behave in ways that separate us from each other. There’s a temptation to hide away, to choose to live asleep in my comfortable routine, with comfortable thoughts, to convince myself I’m living in God’s light. The consequences of this choice are disastrous. When we choose to see our success and self-worth through the lens of others’ shortcomings, failures, and losses; when we hold onto what we have at the expense of those who have less, we fool ourselves and ultimately live a dead life. I believe Jesus calls us to be aware that this era is not forever. The work of Jesus calls me to wake up, by striving to understand the impact of change on my neighbors and overcome any fear that prevents me from fully living life.