Awake

Awake, Papa!

As far as being a grandfather goes, I must confess that I live for the sleepover. As a new grandpa, I looked forward to the day when my grandsons would spend weekends at our house. I anticipated the thrill of tucking them in at night, and sharing Cheerios and cartoons next morning. It worked when my kids were small, and I hoped it would please them as well.

What I was not prepared for was their sleep schedule. They go to bed early; usually 7:00 pm, and they are awake and ready to start their morning by 6:00 am. Even on a workday, I try not to get out of bed before 6:30, and on weekends, I’ll sleep-in. For the boys though, Papa will always adjust his schedule a bit.

When the boys sleep-over, I am a pretty light sleeper. I’ll hear every little movement they make, and I might even get-up two or three times at night, just to listen for their breathing. And, I’ll wake-up in the morning more tired than I went to bed. Fortunately for everyone, Nana is a morning person, (praise God!)

One weekend the boys stayed over, and had a great time playing hard and laughing harder. The bedtime routine went as scheduled, and the boys were asleep almost before their heads hit their pillows. Everyone slept peacefully. The first sound I heard was the only sound I heard, because, as I lifted myself up to check the time (6:00 am!), there, at the foot of my bed was young Christopher, with his big brown eyes shining brighter than the sunrise just peeking over the neighbor’s rooftop.

“Awake, Papa!” This was not a command, but a declaration. Christopher was awake, alert, and absolutely brimming with excitement for the new day, and he couldn’t wait to tell Papa that he was ready for whatever adventures lay ahead.

His enthusiasm reminded me that, as Believers, we know where we are bound, but we do not know when. While we are here on earth, there are things we should be doing. Our time is valuable to God. We need not only to be getting up, and getting busy, but there should be a sense of urgency – and joy – for what God had in store for us every waking day.

As I have gotten older, it has become a bit tougher, “rising-and-shining” as I did when I was younger. Even when the heart is willing, the body resists. Oh, that we might all be as excited each new morning as young Christopher, bright-eyed and a-raring to go – ready to fulfill God’s plans for our lives.

“…you know what sort of times we live in, so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now that we first put our faith in the Lord. Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. Romans 13:11-12

Written by Rich Silveira
Teacher – 5th grade, and one of our resident grandpas at NorthCreek Academy



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