Stay Awake? Really?

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”  Matthew 24:45-46

Lord Jesus,

Help me to share your love and compassion for all people.  Help me to befriend people who are lonely, give to those who are in need, and campaign for justice, because people matter, and not because I want to be rewarded or escape punishment.  Help me to care for the wonderful ecosystems of this planet, which God has given us the intelligence to appreciate, but also the potential to destroy.

I know that God sees everything that I do, not just what I happen to be doing at the precise moment when you return to Earth.  Help me to live my life in a way that makes this world a better place.

I know that you had physical needs for food and sleep, just like any other human.  So I will trust that when you said in your parables, ‘Stay awake!’ you weren’t telling your disciples to do what would have been impossible even for you, and literally stay awake 24 hours a day until you return to Earth.  But help me not to be lazy and self-indulgent in the way I live.

Amen