Jonah 1:5
“All the sailors were afraid. Each one cried out to his own god for help. They threw the ship’s contents into the sea. They were trying to make the ship lighter. But Jonah had gone below deck. There he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.” (NIRV)

Do you ever sleep talk or sleep walk? My husband is a criminal offender of the former—so much so that I keep a journal of all the wacky things he says in the middle of the night. One of my favorite examples that we still quote to each other happened right after we got our new puppy. He shot up from sleep, looked directly at me and said, “Yeah, we can keep him. April Fools! No, it was a jokey joke.” Then he crashed back into sleep. I guess he was too scared to tell me in the waking hours he wanted to get rid of our precious little puppy (who’s name is Tugboat, I mean come on, does it get cuter than that?) But have no fear! We did indeed get to keep little Tugboat, and it was NOT an April Fools joke.

Jonah was caught sleeping at a crucial moment on his getaway-vessel. As the storm raged, he tucked himself in deep below the deck. The sailors frantically searched for what had caused this storm or what could stop it, and ironically, the only one who knew the true God chose to sleep. Could it be that the storm raging outside felt insignificant to the storm raging inside of Jonah from his disobedience?

Jonah’s choice to sleep in a place where no one could find him could be compared to “Sleeping Christians” hiding out among the Church. But what is a “Sleeping Christian?” I would describe them as someone who is indifferent to all that is going on in our world, and neglects God's work in times like these. There is a storm raging all around us with enough noise to wake even the deepest sleepers. Yet some Christians are still able to sleep softly through it. They may protest that they “talk and walk” with Christ—but you can talk and walk in your sleep too.

Thursday’s Reflection

Do you feel as though you might be a “Sleeping Christian?” Is there a call you feel from the Lord that you have effectively hit snooze on? My challenge to you today is to reflect on what it means to be truly awake in Christ and what that could look like in your life.