The Snooze Button

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! That not-so-gentle reminder that is time to face the day is at times my worst enemy. Roll over, deep breath, a quick jump out from under the comfortable covers with a quick, “SLAM,” to that all so famous snooze button. Five minutes more. I’m just not ready yet. I don’t want to face the day. I need more sleep.

Five minutes later, a repeat. Five more, five more, five more. Before I realize that extra hour I had decided to give myself is gone. GREAT! Now I am behind. Running late. Screaming at kids. Feeling pushed. There is NO WAY I will get everything done. Why didn’t I just get up and get going? It would have been so much easier.

Have you ever felt that way? You may not be one to push a snooze button over and over again for an hour. But I am sure you have been there at least once or so in your life. That feeling of warm covers, being comfortable where you are, not wanting to face the challenges of the day ahead. Life would be so much easier sometimes if you just didn’t have to face it! Are you with me on this one?

This morning as I pushed my snooze button for the (well who’s counting) time, I had a gentle inspiration for today’s devotion/article. How often does God wake us up with his alarm and we put Him off? Fortunately, God is probably gentler that that annoying digital beep that comes from your digital alarm clock. But let’s really think about the implications of hitting the snooze button on God.

When I set my alarm for today, I sat it earlier than normal, because I had some things I knew I wanted to do to better prepare for the day. By pressing snooze for an hour, I have ended up almost two hours behind my intended schedule. When we know there are things God is waking us up to do, how often do we ask him to let us stay comfortable for a little while longer? We jump up long enough to slam the snooze button and climb right back over the blankets and cover up our head. Over and over again we ignore what we need to be doing, wanting to relish the comfort for just a few more minutes.

Then, we finally decide that there isn’t time left to be comfortable anymore. There will be consequences if we don’t get up and get up NOW! A rush around the house scrambling for things we need, skipping breakfast, hateful to those around us, a mad dash for the business of the day. When I think of the same spiritual implications of the result of pushing the snooze button on God; I am deeply convicted. When it is almost too late, when I rush the things God has called me to do, when I skip my meals with him…I end up being more hateful and rush the things He has called me to do. And sadly enough, I am not productive like I need to be.

There are so many things we could relate between our everyday attempts to push snooze for just one more minute of comfort and our relationship to God trying to wake us up for His day of business, His calling on our life. If there is something in your life that God is calling you to do, quit pushing snooze! Stop pulling the covers over your head in the area of comfort you know so well. Get up, put your feet on the cold floor, and face what He has for you with joy and determination! We all know that facing the day with plenty of preparation is so much more beneficial than barely making it out the door.

I have a visual of two different women: One has half wet hair, wrinkled clothes, a briefcase with papers falling out, kids with uncombed hair and screaming they are hungry, running around the house looking for keys. The other has every hair in place, her clothes neatly pressed, briefcase neatly packed and organized with the day’s agenda, kids fed and smartly dressed, key and a nice cup of coffee in hand, and yes, with a smile on her face.

Which woman do you want to be for God? Think about those two women the next time God asks you to do something. Quit pressing SNOOZE on God, it will be worth the effort to GET UP and GET GOING!