Awake, Oh Sleeper

I'm currently in the throes of the first trimester of pregnancy. Now, whether you've been pregnant or not, you probably have the general idea that this period of time, for many, is not easy. At the risk of wandering into complainer territory, I'll leave it at that.

I find the biggest challenge during this time is how singularly focused I can become. And not on anything good. My mind tends to stay on one topic and that's how awful I feel and how badly I wish the days could speed up. All temporary, all a moment, but it consumes me.

This is not just a dilemma of pregnancy. We are all at risk for falling into the trap of being swallowed up—by a feeling, an emotion, an obsession, or any myriad of things. This perspective is keeps us earthbound, in a way. It's too narrow, too simple, for a soul made for Heaven.

Scripture is filled of reminders for us to run the race, to steady the course, to not fall asleep as we hear in today's Gospel (see Matthew 25:1-13), yet over and over I find myself sidelined by something very human, and my eyes taken off the Cross. Jesus knew we would all be inclined to struggle in this way.

Our Lord promises us the grace to suffer well, and the grace to wait well, like the faithful virgin in today's Gospel. I can't wait around to make my life a prayer, and neither should you, whatever your current struggle. When we get lost in our own troubles, we run the risk of missing out on Jesus Himself Who comes to us in the everyday with the grace to make us Saints.

* It’s important to note that since writing this devotion, our baby was lost to miscarriage. Trusting in God’s everlasting goodness, this message has never been more true. Lord, help me to suffer well! Uniting all my struggles with yours and to the Cross.

Lord, help me to suffer well! // Blythe FikeClick to tweet

Meditate over this prayer for an increased outpouring of God's graces today.

Blythe Fike is the wife of Kirby and mother of 8 smallish kids. She loves the quiet life in small town SoCal. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. You can find out more about her here.