#MondayDoseOfInspiration
I know our readers cut across people from different religious leanings but permit me this morning to share with you a loaded nugget of wisdom I discovered from the Bible a while ago. I have been praying with this verse for a number of years since the day I stumbled on it, but I got fresh insight (did i hear someone say hallelujah? Lol) to the verse on the dawn of this day in question.
"Consider and hear me, O
LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have
prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved." Psalm 13:3-4 (KJV)
In times past when I prayed
with this verse, I usually took it to mean sleep in its literal sense. This is because I
am someone that is naturally blessed with the gift of sleep. I'll explain. I
find it strange some times when I hear people say they suffer from insomnia and
at the risk of sounding insensitive or shallow, I'm thinking,
"Is it that difficult
really to sleep?"
"...for so he giveth his
beloveth sweet sleep". Psalm 127:2 (KJV)
There is a kind of sleep
called the sleep of death. It is the kinda slumber you fall into when you
should be awake because even your enemy ain't sleeping. Sleep here doesn't just
mean sleep in it's literal sense but means complacency.
Companies who become
lethargic and do not constantly, strategically innovate will soon find
competition kicking them out of business. It has been proven that one of the
secrets of successful people is that they work (also read as strategise) when
others are sleeping. Successful people spend fewer hours sleeping and work
more. Truth is that alot of us spend times that could otherwise be converted to
good use on frivolities during the day and when night comes we are too fagged
out to even stay up to do any strategic thinking. Don't get me wrong. I am not
saying one should work all through the 24 hours of the day, after all;
'All work and no play makes
Jack a dull boy'
Jesus takes this a notch
further when He said,
''I must work the works of Him
that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work". John 9:4 (KJV)
Day here refers to one's
youthful days. Youth is associated with increased physical strength, vigor,
mental alertness while night is the time of old age when typically one is
retired and should be taking a break. No matter how much you try to exert
yourself at night, your strength will fail because you cannot cheat nature
which is why Jesus emphasised that at night time, men can no longer work. Day
time is meant for work and applying one's strength, both physical and
mental as much as one can. There are risks that you can take during the day
time of your life that you cannot venture to take at night otherwise you will
die of cardiac arrest.
Day time is not meant for
sleeping jokers. It's a time of staying up and working your socks off.
The subsequent verse says
that a man that is giving to too much sleep will soon have his enemies mocking
him. If you fail to apply yourself to your life's work and strive to leave a
legacy behind after you are long gone, you will set yourself up as a candidate
of mockery. Unfortunately, it is not only your enemies that will mock you but
friends, associates, colleagues and even family members will make you a
laughing stock.
"...lighten my eyes that
I may not sleep the sleep of death...".
This should be someone's
prayer today. As we go about our activities today with a new zest for life and
renewed hope to face undauntedly whatever obstacle that may come our way, let
us reflect on this word of wisdom and silently pray,
"Dear God, help me not
to become complacent in the things that matter that it will not be said of me,
"Where were you when your mates were prospering?"
Shalom.
P.S- I apologise for my
loooong silence. I have been (still I'm) on this journey of self discovery and
actualisation, therefore I needed some time to refocus and re-strategize.
Seeing that I bring you stuff that hopefully inspires you, I wanted to make
sure that I also practised what I preached. I hope I am forgiven. Lol
