“Last week found me living for nothing but deadlines
With my dead beat sky but, this town doesn’t look the same tonight.
These dreams started singing to me out of nowhere;
And in all my life, I don’t know if I ever felt so alive….
Maybe it’s called ambition, you’ve been talking in your sleep
About a dream, we’re awakening.”
- “Awakening” by Switchfoot
The package arrived on the day after Christmas. The postman said he was sorry it didn’t arrive by Christmas day. I told him, “That’s ok. I know what it is, and this gift is right on time.” It was the Switchfoot holiday package including their new CD Oh Gravity, the latest addition to my iPod. “Awakening” is a song that speaks to the very heart of me. In fact, "Awakening" has become my theme for 2007.
Every day, I strive to be fully awake - helpful when driving and even more important when traversing the journey of life. When we awaken, we become aware. We become aware of who we are, where we are, who else is around us, and begin to discover why we are here. There are times when I get this right. Other times, it is a struggle to keep my eyes open; or better said, focused on the right things. The intentions are there, but the actions sometimes falter.
An awakening can also involve a renewal of attention or interest in something or someone. The beginning of a new year tends to bring things and people to our attention. We think about goals that we accomplished and people we impacted over the last year. We also regret moments we slumbered through, failing to say the right words or do the right thing. While it is easy to be weighed down by my moments of inaction, I always resolve myself to learn from the past and perform in the moment. I can never change the past, and the future is only impacted by what I do today. Are you propelled or pummeled by your moments? Even moments of regret can serve as a building block in your life. The key is how you use them.
We also consider the opportunities before us in the new year. New ideas to be discovered. New people to be met, and new relationships to be formed. New callings to be heard and found.
Awakening allows us to never miss a moment. A moment to cherish. A moment to influence. A moment to love. A moment to engage. A moment to experience all that our life was intended to be about. A moment to make our lives count for what matters most. We have been created to go through life with eyes wide open.
As you reflect on the past year, how would you rate 2006? Was it filled with accomplishments? Successes? Challenges? Trials? Were you fully engaged in the moments of your life?
As you consider the beginning of another year, what opportunities lie ahead? Are there dreams that you have been mentioning as you “sleep” through another day of the same old thing? Some people go through their whole life never awakening to the possibilities before them. My challenge to myself and to you for 2007 is to awaken to the purpose and the potential of each new day. Live for something higher and bigger than the next deadline. The alarm clocks of life are usually louder than the still small voice of opportunity.
What are we waking up to?
Let us all awaken to that still small voice that has been calling to us since birth!
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