Just Five More Minutes

 

T

he noise of the alarm clock at 5:00 in the morning is anything but a welcoming sound.  Just a few seconds on this side of the alarm, everything is peaceful, quiet, ordered and serene.  I am not aware of the world outside.  I’m not even aware of the fact that my eyes are closed and my mind registers absolutely nothing.  All is blank, all is calm, and all is just as it should be. Then it happens!  Out of nowhere a piercing, screaming, sound shatters the silence. On the other side of the alarm, there is chaos, noise, confusion, and regret! Yes, I said regret because every time the thing goes off I regret having purchased my alarm clock! 

This particular morning was no exception.  The alarm kept its appointed rounds, waking me at precisely five o’clock.  Only this time, I hit the off button, thinking I’d catch just five more minutes of sleep and serenity before facing the day ahead.  Boy was I wrong!  The next sound I heard was the clock in the den chiming out six bells!  Those five minutes had turned into sixty and I now found myself racing against the clock, steaming full speed into the day ahead.  If I had just gotten out of bed when that alarm clock rang, all would have been different.  However, I chose to remain in bed and now it was time to play “Make Up Those Minutes.”  I am a frequent contestant on this show but I never win any more minutes, I just lose more in the end!

Now, all of us have been in my situation.  In fact, I would venture to say that every morning, more than a few of us go through the exact same battle with our alarm clocks.  Our intentions are good but we just can’t quite put them into action.  We have every intention of jumping out of bed at the first chime of the alarm and starting our day in grand fashion.  The reality, however, is that we find that snooze button or the off switch, hoping to grab just five more minutes of sleep.  Those five minutes invariably turn into fifteen, thirty, or sixty and we spend the rest of the day in an attempt to make up for lost time!

Our spiritual lives are no different.  In fact, they are sometimes worse!  We fully intend to spend time in God’s word.  We aim to spend time in prayer, talking to God about His plan for the day ahead, seeking His will and His guidance for all the situations we face in life.  But something invariably happens!  Our spiritual alarm clock goes off and we opt for just five more minutes of whatever we are doing. The result is that those five minutes always get away from us.  Before we know it, the entire day has passed by and we’ve taken no time to spend with our Heavenly Father.

There is a sobering reminder for us in Proverbs 24:33-34.  Solomon reminds us, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.  Solomon is not saying that sleep is wrong and he is definitely not against Sunday afternoon naps!  But there is great truth in this proverb.  There are always consequences that accompany our decisions and our actions.

The resulting condition from resting too much and sleeping too much is poverty.  While it is true that not working will definitely result in having no money, no job, and mounds of unpaid bills, there are other ways to be poverty-stricken.  I believe there is also a good spiritual application of this passage as well.  When we fold our hands, when we decide to put off God’s work until a later time, when we spend five more minutes in another activity rather than spending it with God, we become spiritually poor.  Our relationship with God suffers and we find it difficult, if not impossible, to enjoy the rich benefits of a daily walk with Him.

So, did you jump right out of bed this morning when the alarm rang or did you opt for just five more minutes?  Did you ease yourself into the morning or are you still trying to regain the time you lost after you rolled back over for a few more winks?  If you’re like me, and I feel sorry for you if you are, you find yourself constantly chasing those five minutes throughout the entire day!  At some point today, however, your spiritual alarm clock will go off, reminding you to spend some time with God.  When it sounds, get up from whatever you are doing and talk with God.  It doesn't matter where you are, stop, get up, and get alone with Him.  The worst thing you could do would be to ignore that alarm for just five more minutes! Have a good day!