Do Not Disturb

I woke to a buzzing sound. Eyes weighed down with sleep struggled to open. What time is it? No hints of light trickling in around the curtains so it must not be morning yet.

My eyes wandered around the room searching for the culprit, the interrupter of sleep. Another buzz. My phone ... who is texting me at 3 am? It must be an emergency! As my heart pounded, I fumbled with the lock screen until I opened the text. "Hey, how are you? Did you get my card? Pretty funny, right?"

I closed my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose, and took a few deep breaths, willing myself to swallow the scream that was building in my throat. He must have forgotten about the time difference; that's all. It could happen to anyone. I flopped back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling.

I tried every relaxation technique I knew (no matter how silly), but sleep eluded me. I flipped to my left side . . . then my right. The clock mocked me with its glowing display -- 3:41 am, 4:26 am, 5:43 am. I slid out of the covers and stumbled into the bathroom, dreading the long day ahead.

Downstairs, I knocked over the travel mug full of coffee, sending the precious liquid behind the toaster. By the time I cleaned up the mess, time had run out. I'd have to survive on the leftover dregs until I could search for more coffee.

My keys escaped my grasp, somehow skittering under the middle of the car. In order to retrieve them, I had to lay flat on the asphalt. Great.

As I pulled into the office parking lot, I realized my brain fog kept me from remembering to put on deodorant. I've been wearing deodorant every day for the past 30 years. How could I suddenly forget?

The day continued with more of the same. I walked out of the restroom with toilet paper stuck to my shoe.

I ended up at the bank when I was supposed to be driving to the gym. Now late for class, I spent the hour stuck in the doorway, still trying to exercise in a tight space.

I burned dinner, then, while loading the dishwasher, a glass slipped out of my hands, sending tiny shards of glass all over the kitchen . . . including down the garbage disposal.

I fell into bed, determined to forget this day ever happened . . . but not before I adjusted a setting on my phone. I set my phone to Do Not Disturb during the sleep hours. It was clear from the chaos of the day that I am incapable of functioning on only a couple of hours of sleep. Without enough rest, I lose all control of my thought processes and physical coordination. I need to unplug from the world so my mind and body can recharge for the next day.

"Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray." Mark 1:35 (NLT)

Jesus set the example. On several occasions in Scripture, He unplugged from His surroundings in order to spend time with God. Just as our bodies and minds need sleep to recharge for the next day, so our hearts and minds need time alone with God to recharge for the daily battle ahead. Sleep equips me with the energy to do more than stumble through my day. Time alone with God, set apart, equips me with the power to follow Christ in all I do.

I choose to set my heart and my mind to Do Not Disturb during my daily time with God.