Post #18: Wake Up, Sleeper
September 16, 2026
7 Weeks Post Surgery
“Tabitha, get up!” (Acts 10:40)
“Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43)
“Young man, get up!” (Luke 7:14)
All it took was two words. Not a sermon. Not a big discussion or persuasive speech. Just two commanding words that Jesus spoke in each of these situations to raise them from the dead. Two words filled with resurrection power.
According to Jesus, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him up.” (John 11:11), and “The girl is not dead but asleep.” (Matthew 9:24)
Jesus tells us they were simply sleeping; others saw them as dead. They clearly had different perspectives on the matter.
A recurring topic in my classroom through the years has been perspective: the way we see things based on our own experiences; the way we look at and understand the world from where we are at any given time. And no matter what our age or life path, our experiences are usually pretty limited. We must stretch and think and imagine to see things from a different perspective, a point of view that might be foreign to us.
A friend of mine suggested I look at my life as a big window and this cancer journey is only a small pane – it is not the whole window. Even in the middle of the struggle, it is important for the struggle not to be the whole picture. That seems like a good perspective to have. But maybe it goes even deeper.
The Perspective of a Believer
Walking through this life as believers, we should view the world as such. This life on earth is not the end but the beginning. Every hardship, every success, every gain, every loss should not be measured in worldly terms but in eternal ones. To have an eternal perspective is to see every single situation in life differently. We see things in part (what seems important in the moment) while God knows the whole story and is sovereign over it.
Then the question is how does God see us as believers and followers? We should strive to understand His perspective of us.
We often reduce ourselves to unworthy sinners, which is true, we are certainly all sinners . . . until we consider and accept the cross. For it is through the blood of Jesus on that cross that we are reconciled to God. And once we believe and accept that Truth, the entire matter shifts and so should our perspective. We look at this world as a believer, yes. But we should also see ourselves (and act accordingly) as the Lord sees us, as “holy and blameless.”
"For he chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." Ephesians 1:4
Jesus tells us this in His first recorded words in Mark 1:15, “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”
The word “repent” is used many times throughout scripture. In this case, as in many others, the key to understanding the full meaning of “repent” lies in the original Greek translation. The Greek word is “metanoia” which literally means “to change your mind.” Jesus is telling us to change our minds and our hearts and ultimately turn to God, completely changing our direction. He is not saying to simply be sorry for our sins; He is calling us to see ourselves and live our lives differently in the light of the good news.
And what is that good news? God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die for our sins, to rise again, all so we can be reconciled to God and given eternal life. That is our reality right now in this very moment as followers of Christ.
We are called to WAKE UP and see ourselves as God sees us: as a new creation, holy and blameless. Not when we get to heaven but NOW. The Kingdom is here and now and we have access to the resurrection power of Jesus. It is hard for us as sinners to wrap our brain around that, but that is what scripture tells us and we should strive every day to act accordingly.
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Colossians 1:21-22
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made New in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24
Some people hear the words “it’s cancer” and immediately think of a death sentence. I heard those words as “Wake up, sleeper!” This whole ordeal woke me up to the reality of the resurrection power of Jesus. It reminded me of my place on this earth and how it relates to my place in the Kingdom. This perspective is so much more comforting than the alternative, and that is because it is the only Truth.
Friends would come for visits and cry. People would tell me how sorry they are that I have this. Often it seemed they were thinking this was going to be my end. That never occurred to me. I was not thinking about the end; I was thinking about the Light. The Light at the end of the tunnel is where is all begins. There may be other tunnels ahead, but I know where this road ends, and that is just the beginning.
Ephesians 5:8-10 “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live, as children of Light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”
“Wake up, O sleeper, Rise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14
Prayer
Lord, let us see ourselves as you see us in light of the cross. Help us to live as you see us, Holy and blameless. Thank you for sending your Son to die for us, to be resurrected for us. Thank you that resurrection power is alive in us today. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us! Thank you that the Kingdom is here and we are part of it. Help us to keep that perspective in every situation every single day. Help us to live according to Your will and not our own. It is in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.
A Song for Your Day: Rise Up (Lazarus) and Rattle
