"Most of us all walk around as if we're sleepwalking. We really don't experience the world fully, because we're half-asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do." Mitch Albom
"I believe a lot of our lives are spent asleep, and what I've been trying to do is hold on to those moments when a little spark cuts through the fog and nudges you." Rufus Wainwright
In October of 2015, a young woman in Colorado found herself nine miles away from her home, in her pajamas, with no shoes and completely unaware of how she got there. She was found after several hours, missing from her parents home, when she was "awakened" on the side of the road and she recognized where she was. Officers thought there was a chance she took a bus for part of her journey, but is still unlikely since she had no ID or money on hand. Dr. Shalini Paruthi, a sleep specialist says "It’s a subconscious state, and for the most part [sleepwalkers] do look awake … They have their eyes open, and they have a glassy look to their eyes," she said. "They can do simple behaviors and walk down steps. They can do routine behaviors …or they wake up in the wrong place."
Sleep walking can be a scary thing. I myself have a handful of experiences with sleep walking, not to the extreme of the Colorado woman - she takes her sleep walking very seriously. I do however, have a few stories from my past that are pretty funny when looking back on it. Including waking up to my parents screaming in the middle of the night after, as a fully grown teenager, whipping their door open and trying to climb in bed with them. As terrifying as this might be for them (seriously my poor parents, I burst through that door as if I worked for the SWAT team) it was just as terrifying to me. Last thing I remember is being in my bed and now I have my dad screaming in terror and my mom telling me to go back to my own bed. I remember visibly how shaken I was, how confused I was. How did I get there? I also remember being afraid, what if this happens again? Will I wake up in my bed in the morning or somewhere else?
Thankfully, it's not a constant thing and I usually find myself waking in my own bed. While my sleep walking is becoming less frequent, there have been times I find myself spiritually sleep walking. Living each day doing my "routine behaviors" in a fog, completely unaware of my surroundings. The ease that comes with our daily habits, can lull us into a comatose state until we awake and wonder, 'how did I get so far away from the intimate relationship I once had with God?' How long has it been since I spent real closet time prayer with God? When was the last time I stopped and waited to hear what He had to say to me? How many conversations happened with my unsaved family and friends that I didn't allow God to use me to reach them? It's easy to be distracted, to be caught up in a world with its garbage painted to look like treasure luring us away from what we know is true.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 (NLT) - So be on your guard, not asleep like others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.
Waking up and finding yourself lost, far from the comfort of the Lord is no place to stay when we know better. While others may be sleepwalking, we aren't of this world and can't find ourselves in the same type of coma. There are people we know, who are finding themselves lost all around us, who have no idea how to navigate through the fog of the world. They need clear headed Christians to grab their hand and lead the way. Daily, we have to make prayer a priority where we ask God to help keep us awake, mindful, and prepared to combat everything that wants to lull us asleep. Let's seek a depth in Him like we've never experienced that can keep us from being lost in the fog.
Be sober, be vigilant,
Sister Amber Klein
"I believe a lot of our lives are spent asleep, and what I've been trying to do is hold on to those moments when a little spark cuts through the fog and nudges you." Rufus Wainwright
In October of 2015, a young woman in Colorado found herself nine miles away from her home, in her pajamas, with no shoes and completely unaware of how she got there. She was found after several hours, missing from her parents home, when she was "awakened" on the side of the road and she recognized where she was. Officers thought there was a chance she took a bus for part of her journey, but is still unlikely since she had no ID or money on hand. Dr. Shalini Paruthi, a sleep specialist says "It’s a subconscious state, and for the most part [sleepwalkers] do look awake … They have their eyes open, and they have a glassy look to their eyes," she said. "They can do simple behaviors and walk down steps. They can do routine behaviors …or they wake up in the wrong place."
Sleep walking can be a scary thing. I myself have a handful of experiences with sleep walking, not to the extreme of the Colorado woman - she takes her sleep walking very seriously. I do however, have a few stories from my past that are pretty funny when looking back on it. Including waking up to my parents screaming in the middle of the night after, as a fully grown teenager, whipping their door open and trying to climb in bed with them. As terrifying as this might be for them (seriously my poor parents, I burst through that door as if I worked for the SWAT team) it was just as terrifying to me. Last thing I remember is being in my bed and now I have my dad screaming in terror and my mom telling me to go back to my own bed. I remember visibly how shaken I was, how confused I was. How did I get there? I also remember being afraid, what if this happens again? Will I wake up in my bed in the morning or somewhere else?
Thankfully, it's not a constant thing and I usually find myself waking in my own bed. While my sleep walking is becoming less frequent, there have been times I find myself spiritually sleep walking. Living each day doing my "routine behaviors" in a fog, completely unaware of my surroundings. The ease that comes with our daily habits, can lull us into a comatose state until we awake and wonder, 'how did I get so far away from the intimate relationship I once had with God?' How long has it been since I spent real closet time prayer with God? When was the last time I stopped and waited to hear what He had to say to me? How many conversations happened with my unsaved family and friends that I didn't allow God to use me to reach them? It's easy to be distracted, to be caught up in a world with its garbage painted to look like treasure luring us away from what we know is true.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 (NLT) - So be on your guard, not asleep like others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.
Waking up and finding yourself lost, far from the comfort of the Lord is no place to stay when we know better. While others may be sleepwalking, we aren't of this world and can't find ourselves in the same type of coma. There are people we know, who are finding themselves lost all around us, who have no idea how to navigate through the fog of the world. They need clear headed Christians to grab their hand and lead the way. Daily, we have to make prayer a priority where we ask God to help keep us awake, mindful, and prepared to combat everything that wants to lull us asleep. Let's seek a depth in Him like we've never experienced that can keep us from being lost in the fog.
Be sober, be vigilant,
Sister Amber Klein
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