I awake

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.  I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” Ezekiel 37:4-6 

Tonight was one of those nights where I couldn’t stay asleep.  

There was no haunting of dreams or unclear conscience.  Rather I woke quickly, immediately aware that each day my heart beats and my breath steadies.

Do you ever get that? A momentary reminder of the fact that you’re living? 

It’s a common reality so easily overlooked; yet it harbors the power to shock and awe in the midst of a sudden awakening.

I sit cozily with the fine company of a cup of tea and a wakeful state.  The three of us collectively, excitedly realize that it’s the first of September.  Not only does it mark the beginning of early autumn, it roughly marks the passing of three years since I was truly awakened.  

While I grew up under parents of faith and an avid habit of church, I was not a Christian.  Some people have beautiful testimonies in which Jesus always had a grip on their heart from womb till present, and they were SURE.  I would sit in youth group and listen to people talk about how SURE they were and wonder if I’d ever be SURE or if there was even anything to be SURE about.  I got so worn down by the absence of certainty, that I simply became certain in the opposite direction.  So “certain” in fact, that by the time I was in high school, I’d sooner have believed in the validity of Santa Claus than I would’ve in Jesus Christ.  

But.

By the grace of Christ himself, I was finally awakened to the fact He is real. 

The summer before I came to college, I had one extremely terrible and dark moment.

The moment immediately following, I was entrusted with the gift of light.

And I was SURE.

Coming into the light for the first time was like waking up when I never knew I’d been sleeping.  Having life breathed into me by God was like witnessing the sun kiss a dark valley; like flesh covering those dry bones.  I could suddenly feel my heart beat and my breath grow steady.  

And three years later in the dead of night, I feel exceedingly more alive than asleep.

I don’t know who will read this.  And of those who do, I don’t know if you’re aware of the life that you’ve been granted through a sacrifice beyond comprehension.  But as the weather will soon cool and the leaves will shortly fall, I pray you know why your heart beats and your breath steadies.  I pray that you know the Savior I do.  I pray you can be SURE.  

I pray you are awakened.

And if you would sooner believe in the validity of Santa Claus, allow me to fill you in on the world’s best kept secret:  Santa Claus is actually just Mike and Carrie Drews.