Sitting on Ledges

“Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, and put his arms around him. ‘He’s alive!’ The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.” Acts 20:9-12.

I can both relate to this story and laugh at it due to the wonderful ending. We have all been there before…sitting at a religious gathering, our minds wandering, our eyelids heavy and suddenly our heads snap as we realize we have fallen asleep. We look around mortified that someone would notice our lack of interest and our lack of engagement into the message. (Now hopefully we are not sitting on a window ledge when this happens.)

Spiritually speaking, how many of us are sitting on that ledge peering out of the window totally distracted by life. We are neither engaged in the message of God nor interested. We tell ourselves ‘It’s boring in here and look at everything I am missing out on by being here.’ God never intended for us to sit on the window’s ledge like some distant acquaintance invited to some distant and boring speech. He created us to engage, passionately pursue and be His messenger. His word was meant to be thrown around our lives and the love of His arms to be wrapped around every part of every day.

When we are lulled to sleep by life we miss out on the message and the excitement of His delight. We conclude that the excitement outside the window is greater than the stagnant air inside the walls. We have bought into the world’s lies and it is only a matter of time before we fall to our death…death of fellowship with God…death of fellowship with the Body of Christ.

If we are going to fall to our death, let us hope and pray that it is the death of our old self. Then God will run to our dead bodies, throw Himself upon us, put His arms around us and proclaim, ‘She’s alive!’