Are you sleep walking through the Christian life?

So, the other night my oldest son fell asleep on the couch while we were watching the newest episodes from Season 5 of "The Chosen." We had to wake him up, tell him to go use the bathroom and get into bed. Half-asleep, he sauntered into the pantry, and started to remove the lid from the insta-pot...

He thought the pantry was the bathroom, and the insta-pot... was a different kind of pot.

My wife managed to intervene seconds before he used it. His sleep-walking is pretty crazy. When he's out of it, he's really out of it. When I asked him about it in the morning, he didn't even remember it.

It got me thinking. How many of us "sleep walk" through the faith? I think it happens to all of us at some point. We kind of get in a comfortable routine, so that going through the motions, going to church, even doing our prayers and bible reading, becomes "just something we do."

Have you ever done your prayers and realized you were thinking about other things the entire time? Maybe you've done your Bible reading and somehow your eyes got from the beginning of a chapter to the end and you realize you have no clue what you just read because your mind was somewhere else.

 

Waking Up to Christ's Presence

It's a common human experience to fall into routine, and yes, it happens in our faith lives too. We establish good habits—daily prayer, Worship/Mass attendance, Bible reading—and these are undoubtedly vital to our spiritual nourishment. But the danger lies not in the routine itself, but in the potential for our hearts and minds to disengage.

We run the risk of becoming like those pesky Pharisees we meet in the Gospels, those who Jesus accuses of polishing the "outside" of the cup while leaving the inside dirty, or of living like whitewashed tombs, pretty on the outside, but like rotting corpses within.

That's where we might end up if we allow "just going through the motions" to persist for too long. The faith stops to be real, it becomes something we "wear," a bit of a show, but it lacks the inner transformation and growth God expects of us.

Consider the Greek word for "watchful" or "alert," greˉgoreoˉ (γρηγoρϵˊω). This isn't just about staying awake physically; it's about spiritual vigilance. Jesus uses this word repeatedly, especially in the Gospels, urging His disciples to "stay awake and pray" (Matthew 26:41). It's a call to be present, to be intentional, to not let the sacred become mundane.

Think about the Israelites in the Old Testament. God constantly performed miracles and revealed His presence, yet they frequently fell into patterns of forgetfulness and idolatry. Their "sleepwalking" often led to dire consequences. The prophet Jeremiah, for instance, laments that the people have "forgotten me days without number" (Jeremiah 2:32). The Hebrew word for "forgotten," shakhakh (ׁשָׁכַח), implies not just a lapse in memory, but a neglect, a letting go of what was once held dear.

So, how do we shake ourselves awake when our spiritual lives feel like a blur of forgotten prayers and unread chapters?

 

Rekindling the Fire

The key lies in rediscovering the why behind our actions. Why do we pray? Not just to fulfill an obligation, but to enter into intimate conversation with the God who loves us more than we can imagine. Why do we read Scripture? Not just to complete a chapter, but to hear the living Word of God speak directly to our hearts. Why do we attend Church? Not just out of habit, or for social reasons, but to encounter Christ.

Here are a few ways to rouse ourselves from spiritual slumber:

Praitice Intentional Presence: Before you begin your prayers or Bible reading, take a moment. Take a deep breath. Acknowledge God's presence with you right now. Offer a simple prayer like, "Lord, open my heart and mind to receive Your grace."\

Engage Your Senses: When at Church, truly listen to the readings, participate in the responses and songs, look at the altar or other religious symbols and art, don't just glace over them, but think about what they signify. Smell the incense (if used), and taste the Eucharist. When praying, make it meditative, actually visualize God on the other side of your prayer, hearing it... go deeper in your requests, and avoid making it all about "petition" (asking for God to do certain things) and ask God to simply allow you to speak to him as a child who is eager to speak to his father, ask him to hold you in his silent but powerful embrace.

Engage your whole self in the act. There's not defined "prayer posture" that's right or wrong, but I've found that if I'm too comfortable it's easy to doze off, or let my mind wander. If I'm too uncomfortable, that can be distracting too. Find a posture that you associate with prayer. Kneeling is a popular one. You can kneel on a blanket or a pillow beside your bed. Try clasping your hands, or pressing your hands together. Perhaps, hold into something that has meaning to you, like a crucifix, your bible, or a rosary. It doesn't matter what posture you assume, but the more you can involve your entire body in the act of prayer, the more likely it is that you'll be more engaged in the prayer itself.

Vary Your Routine (Sometimes): While routine is good, occasionally changing how you pray or where you read your Bible can disrupt the autopilot. Try a different prayer book, read a different translation of the Bible, or pray in a new quiet space.

Reflect and Journal: After your prayer or reading, take a moment to reflect. What word or phrase stood out to you? How does it apply to your life today? Jotting down these thoughts can help solidify the experience and move it from a rote exercise to a meaningful encounter. One of the reasons I write these daily e-mails is because it allows me to journal about something that came to mind while doing my morning holy hour.

Seek Community: Share your struggles and insights with fellow believers. Sometimes, hearing how others stay awake in their faith can inspire and re-energize us. The communal aspect of our faith is a powerful antidote to isolation and spiritual inertia. It's also powerful to pray with other people at times, rather than just alone. We pray by virtue of belong to the body of Christ, so whenever we pray, we pray with all believers (not just those in your local congregation, but all believers everywhere, past, present, and future!). There's something very powerful about inviting others into your prayer. It's a clear reminder that we truly belong to Christ's body, that we aren't just "lone rangers" doing this faith-walk alone. We're walking together, and with Jesus.

Just like my son, who probably needed a moment to reorient himself after his... misadventure into the pantry... we too sometimes need a conscious effort to reorient our hearts towards Christ. The good news is, our God is infinitely patient and always ready to meet us where we are. He desires for us to be awake, alive, and fully present to His love.

Are there areas in your spiritual life where you feel you might be sleepwalking? What's one small step you can take today to "wake up" and be more present with God?

 

In Jesus' name,

Judah