Drowsy?
Get off the windowsill first!
I felt myself falling and I knew it was over. My mum had always told me not to sleep so much but I couldn’t control it. She’s probably going to cry so hard. Oh, and my siblings! How would they feel? Oh, I don’t want to die. Wait, would I make it to heaven if I do so? I mean, I’m a believer so of course, I guess. But wait, I don’t want to dieeee!
— — —
It’s pitch black. This isn’t what heaven is supposed to look like is it? Wait, someone is hugging me. What’s happening? Everything is starting to clear up again. Wait, this is the three storey’s roof. Who’s hugging me? Is that the Apostle? Apostle Paul? Am I alive? I’m alive!! I didn’t die! Oh, praise Jesus!
— — —
We were told that the Apostle’s ship was arriving! I was so excited. We had heard so many things about the Apostle and I was so excited to meet him finally! His salvation story is the grandest one I’ve heard. Jesus Himself had blinded his eyes for three days before Ananias had been sent to open them. The best part of the whole thing is this: he was on his way to seek more help in persecuting more of us Christians but He had instead met with Jesus on the way. What a story!
I made my way to the meeting room, on the second floor of a three storey building. There was hardly any room, so I sat on the windowsill to get a good view of the Apostle. We had the Lord’s Supper, and then, Paul began to talk. He preached to us about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, the Great Commission, the implication of our faith, and He was now talking about how people should act towards one another, specifically married people. I was so sleepy, having had a really long day, and I felt I could just doze off. I did, but I forgot one thing: I was sitting on the windowsill!
— — —
The Apostle and I made our way upstairs, and my mother pulled me into a very warm embrace. I knew she was going to keep referring to it the next time I overslept, but for now, she was glad I was alive, as I was too. We continued in the Lord’s Supper again and spoke till it was morning. Then the Apostle left.
When I was thinking of who to write about today, I knew I wanted a story from the New Testament. And then, on the bus, I felt like I wanted to write about Eutychus. Nobody ever really talks about Eutychus, and I wanted to dismiss the thought, thinking there wasn’t really a lot to learn, but there are actually lessons in Eutychus’s story.
His story is found in Acts of the Apostles 20: 9-12.
I think subconsciously I had thought of his story this past week while listening to a sermon where it was mentioned that he was the only one whose raising back to life didn’t involve a woman, and the preacher jokingly said it was the most boring raising to life story in the Bible😂. I wanted to write it from his POV to see what the story is like, and this is my version of it. I believe women make everything better 🤭, so I added a woman’s touch to it. Of course, this is all fiction and shouldn’t take the place of what you see in your Bible, so please, go and read your Bible!
Now, the lessons. First, I would say that it shows that sheer determination and will are sometimes not enough to keep us in the presence of God. You want to be there, but it’s just not happening. Like Eutychus, one day, you sleep, and then you somehow can’t get yourself to spend time with God again or go to church or do something no matter how hard you try. But just like Paul had to raise him to life again, the Holy Spirit is there to help you get up and continue. It was never about our willpower or determination. It has always been about the grace of God.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Philippians 2:13 NLT
The second thing is how Eutychus was sitting on a windowsill, despite knowing he had issues with sleeping. He was bound to fall asleep at any point and fall to his death, which is exactly what happened to him. But to us, we might not be sitting on a literal windowsill. We might knowingly be susceptible to some form of sin or the other, and putting ourselves in areas where we can easily fall into temptation which eventually leads to sin. You’re prone to stealing, but you want to work with money. Your faith is not strong enough, but you hang around a lot of people with strange ideologies that make you question your faith. Please, wisdom is profitable to direct. (Ecclesiastes 10:10). Get off that windowsill today.
“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”
James 1:14-15 NLT
I hope that these stories are not just fun adaptations of stories you’ve seen in the Bible, but that you’re actually seeing them through the lens of your life. There’s always something or the other to pick from every story, so please, let them be a call to look inward. And I pray that the Spirit of truth will reveal the truths in these stories to you, and help you apply what is necessary to your life.
Thank you for reading, my loves. And welcome to my new readers! I’m so excited to have you here. You broke my streak of 365 readers after a long time and I’m really excited about that😂. I was starting to say I have a reader for each day but now that has changed and I’m very happy about that. Please share this newsletter with your friends, and even your enemies. A little good might just be all they need, y’know. You’re now my loves, so welcome to the family!
I love you all,
Wuraola 💕.