Still I Hit Snooze…
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Revelation 3:20
Insight
I'm a chronic snoozer. It doesn't matter how long I have slept, how many alarms I have set, or the location of my alarm clock. 99.9% of the time, I hit the snooze button. In college, I bought a round alarm clock that vibrated and would roll off the bedside table. You had to get up and locate the rolling alarm clock to turn the alarm off. Still, I snoozed. After college, I bought an alarm clock with eight different sayings, and each time the alarm went off, it spoke in a foreign accent, trying to convince me to get up. Still, I snoozed. Now being married, my husband gets to enjoy the 4-5 alarms that go off every morning on my phone, and still, I sleep more often than not. Maybe it's habit, or I'm just really good at sleepwalking across the room; I'm not sure, but no matter how much I plan to get up when the alarm goes off, I hit the snooze.
It's one thing when we are talking about getting a few extra minutes of sleep; it's something far different when talking about our walk with God. So often, we find ourselves with the best intentions when it comes to connecting with God. We pick out the perfect study. We buy a new journal. We ask friends to hold us accountable. But then our best-made plans get interrupted. We plan to read our Bible in the morning, but social media draws us in, and before we know it, we don't have time. We plan to attend church more regularly, but the weather is lovely, and we promise to listen sometime during the week. We want to do that family devotion, but our kids are yelling, and the laundry isn't going to fold itself. Far too easily, we put our walks off for another time when it's more convenient.
Today's verse dismantles all our best excuses, though. If we simply open the door, He will come in. He desires to be in a relationship with us, not because we've created the best plan, but because He loves us. He wants to be in our everyday moments and direct our thoughts and decisions. He is there and available; we simply have to make room to hear His voice. We must stay connected to Him if we want His goodness to spill into the world.
Our lack of connecting with God has far less to do with what we believe and far more to do with what captures our attention. We live in a busier world, yet a quick google search says the average person spends over 3 hours on their phone every day. Our phones will not get less attractive, our world will not get less busy, and my snoozing will not magically change on its own. It doesn't matter how often we say we will make time or how much we wish we could do better; nothing will change until we intentionally create a change. Until we make room to hear His voice and set aside time for our relationship, we will constantly find ourselves "snoozing" and He will remain outside waiting for us to open the door.
Reflection
Where do you find yourself hitting the snooze button spiritually?
Prayer
God, thank you for pursuing me. I pray for help to set aside the distractions of this world and make space to hear Your voice, Lord. Give me the strength to choose You over the things that grab my attention and guard my heart against temptations. Amen.
Katie Robinson, Port City Kids' Home Coordinator, wrote today's devotional.