One of my favorite things of all time is sleep. That moment when you get into bed and know that at any moment, your body will be in complete rest is addicting to me. Even as a baby, sleep was very important to me. My mom would always tell me how, as a baby, I would take my last bottle at midnight and I would not wake up until around 6 in the morning. Growing up, I would get cranky if anyone woke me up for no reason. Sleep is very important to me.

            The one thing that I did not notice for a very long time, however, is that I was spiritually asleep. My relationship with God consisted of me only coming to Him when I needed something from Him. I genuinely believed that I lived a life that was good enough. I mean, I believed in Jesus. Isn’t that enough? Well, I am sorry to tell you that it’s not.

            It is not enough to know of God. It is not enough to be a good person. It is not enough to go to church. It is not enough to occasionally read your Bible. It is not enough to call yourself a Christian. If you truly want to inherit the kingdom of God, you must be born again. The way that you do that, is by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior and knowing that He is the way, the truth, and the light.

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” – John 3:3

            My awakening was both literal and spiritual. For the longest time, whenever I had nightmares, they always consisted of some kind of terrorist attack. They were always very real and terrifying. Well, I was having another one of these nightmares sometime in February of this year. As always, I woke up terrified. Normally, I would just shake it off and go along with my day. However, this time, I was left shaken to my core. I remember hearing a voice say, “It’s time to wake up”.

            It was on this day that things began to change for me. I was looking at the world through new eyes. It was strange, but I felt like I had been away for a long time and I had finally come home. I was no longer spiritually asleep but awaken in spirit.

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” – Romans 13:11

            When you are truly born again, you feel the change in your life. It is like a veil is taken away and you can see clearly. You see God’s love in your life. You see His guidance and His blessings in your life. You begin to see all the fruits of the spirit unfold in your life. Galatians 5: 22-23 tells us what the fruits of the spirit are.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

            When we have the fruits of the spirit thriving in us, we are able to have the best quality of life. We are able to love others genuinely. Not just those closest to us, but we are able to love our enemies as well. We have true joy in our lives. This is not to be mistaken with happiness. Happiness is based on our circumstances…it’s temporary. Joy, however, is based on our relationship with God and it is everlasting. We are able to have peace, even in the storms.

We are blessed with patience and the ability to practice patience when things get frustrating. Others are able to experience God’s love through your kindness when you show compassion towards them. They are also able to see His goodness in your life when you willingly help others. Our faithfulness keeps us firm and unmoving when the hard times come. We live a life of gentleness, where we are not only generous towards others but forgiving as well. And even when this world tempts us with things we know will harm us, we are able to show self-control over our mind and body.

            My life has changed in so many ways. I can’t lie and say that I do not struggle in life anymore. I still have times where I still feel afraid and overwhelmed. However, just like Peter, the only reason that the waves are overtaking me is that I am focusing on them. The moment I begin to focus on God, He shows me that the storm isn’t as bad as it seems. So, I say to you the same thing that was told to me…It’s time to wake up.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5