Years ago, a group of us spent a weekend at a friend’s cottage one late October. The sun set early; in order to stay warm we had to build a fire in the hearth. It was pleasant chatting with each other into the late hours of the night – sitting in front of a crackling, warm fire. The fireplace however was the only source of heat. There were six of us. We had decided that we would pair up and each take a watch during the night to make sure the fire didn’t go out.
Having spent much of the day outdoors in the fresh air, we were physically wiped out. We knew it wouldn’t be easy staying up – especially in front of a nice cozy fire - and that is why we decided to do the watches in pairs. Exposure is dangerous and can catch a person by surprise even after a couple of hours. Having someone else to chat with was helpful in keeping us awake but the first pair of ladies found it the most difficult because – like the rest of the group – they were tired and needed sleep as well.
As one of the women in the first watch, I can tell you that it was more tempting than one would think to just close my eyes for 5 minutes. But I knew myself and I knew my friend. The fire would have ended up going out and we would have frozen. We weren’t able to put more logs on the fire before it was time because we would have created a blaze and wasted wood.
The Bible recounts Jesus’ rebuke of three disciples who couldn’t stay awake and pray for Him at the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus told them to remain awake and alert lest they fall into temptation.
It occurs to me, when thinking back on that weekend, that my relationship with Christ can be compared to it far too easily. When I first gave my heart to Him, my passion for Him was on fire. As I became comfy and cozy in our relationship, it was much like that first night at the cottage – I wanted to sleep – like Peter and his friends did. There are times when I realize that I have dozed off a bit in my relationship with Jesus. There are times when I awaken, shivering, to find that there remains only embers left in the hearth of our relationship and it’s all my doing. All I have to do is move a little bit closer – make an effort – stay alert and awake.
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you,” James 4:8.
