Have you ever seen this prayer?

That's me. I start out so well, with such great intentions for the day. I usually wake up on the right side of the bed. I'm spiritually, physically, and mentally awake (at least after the coffee is made). I'm ready to pray, to spend time with God, to make grand plans for the hours I've been given. But around 4 or 5 p.m., (sometimes earlier, depending on the day's hormone balance) something happens to me. It's like Jekyll and Hyde.



Do you ever overeat late at night? Or pick stupid fights with your spouse after 10 p.m.? Do you have trouble saying "no" to things you're trying to quit, or "yes" to the things you really want to accomplish in the late afternoon or evening hours? Does it get worse as the day erodes into darkness?

We are a driven people. Amercians have devalued sleep, rest, and vacations to the point we are literally running on fumes. We applaud every effort to push ourselves to the limits of our physicality, our psyche, our spirits, and our emotions. At every turn in the day we are bombarded with temptation, with opportunity, with distractions -- good and bad.


Did you know that a lack of sleep/rest triggers your body to secrete hormones that cause the "munchies"? Or that when you're tired, your body tells your brain you need to eat in a desperate attempt to find fuel to stay awake?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coriehowell

A person who is physically tired is more susceptible to accidents (almost as bad or worse than a person who has been drinking), more likely to catch colds and flu because the immune system is compromised, and may suffer a myriad of physical symptoms ranging from chest pain to fever to digestive disorders. Emotional and mental fatigue can cause depression, memory loss (we're not old, we're just tired!), anger issues, and lapses in judgment. (http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/fatigue.html#_1_3)

These are all well-documented results of exhaustion as it affects us physically and mentally. But what about spiritually? The prevailing thought among believers is that when an individual struggles with temptation and deception, it's strictly a spiritual problem, to be addressed with prayer and scripture and confession and repentance. Those things are good and necessary, but if we stop there we've only addressed one-third of the whole being.

http://blog-blond.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

It's just a thought, but what if part of the cure for our recurrent "personal" problems was as simple as going to bed on time, or taking an afternoon nap? What if the application of Jesus' words, "if your right hand offends you, cut it off," involved tucking yourself up in bed before you fall in the pit of gossip during those free nighttime minutes on your cell phone, clicking on the link that takes you to the porn site, or overindulging your flesh with extra dessert, midnight snacks, another drink, or two more hours lying on the sofa watching brain- and bank account-sucking infomercials? Maybe cutting off your right hand, or plucking out your eye is as simple as switching off the light...

What makes us think that a lack of sleep and pushing ourselves to the brink of exhaustion is a good thing?

It's a hypothetical question, of course. No one in his or her right mind would LICK a germ-filled petri dish.We've all become hyper-conscious of viruses and bacteria in the wake of the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Suddenly, it's popular to wash your hands again! And it finally occurred to someone, somewhere, that grocery cart handles are potentially nasty! DUH! Of course, the little Clorox wipe-dispensers posted in store entrances are usually empty... But that's not what I want to write about.

Our nation is snared in the grip of an ailment far deadlier than any physical illness. I won't presume to say it's the result of the last election, or the economic downturn, or the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, or who was  named the latest judge on American Idol. This disease has infected humanity since the beginning of time. Pretty much everyone gets it at least once, and some folks never quite get over it. Even worse, some people become carriers, spreading the infection far and wide with their words and actions.

What's it called? OFFENSE. It's not a word we hear very often, but when you start looking at the synonyms, you realize offense and its victims are everywhere! According to Roget's Thesaurus, being offended can be described as being, feeling, or perceiving that you are, or have been:

• Wronged (an act of injustice has occurred)
• Displeased (disapproval of something or someone)
• Upset (emotionally agitated, or disturbed)
• Vexed (angry, irritated, or distressed)
• Provoked (annoyed, bothered, harassed)
• Indignant (exasperated, disgusted, fed up)
• Wounded (hurt feelings)
• Insulted
• “Rubbed the wrong way”
• Attacked
• Mistreated
• Resentful

The Merriam-Webster dictionary's definition of offense is “something that outrages the senses.” When you
feel outraged, displeased, wounded, indignant, or “rubbed the wrong way,” you've contracted a case of offense. Left untreated, it might kill you. Or at least make you miserable for the rest of your life. Like any nasty bug, offense weakens every bodily system, from your immune response to your ability to make rational decisions. I'm not joking when I say it's deadly.

Here's the test: go back over those words above, one at a time. Now, be painfully honest with yourself. Do any of them apply to you? Are you outraged by something taking place in your home, school, or community? Are you resentful that the Democrats won the last election, in spite of your vote? Does the current economic situation leave you feeling indignant, or even wronged? Are you upset over the cultural changes you see taking place in the world around you? Displeased with the choices a family member is making? Wounded by something a friend said or did?  Mistreated by your spouse?

If you can apply any of those words to yourself, you're infected.





I'll be posting instructions all week about recognizing symptoms, obtaining treatment, and preventing future infections. If you aren't already a subscriber or a follower, sign up so you don't miss a post. Get the cure, so you can get over it! Fortunately, if you are willing to submit to the treatment, offense is treatable.

If you want to get this information all in one place at one time, it's in my book The Judas Trap, available at Amazon.com. I'm giving away a free copy this week. (It's excellent preparation for the holidays... all that time with in-laws and family members provides plenty of opportunities to get offended.)

If you'd like to have your name included in the random drawing, leave me a comment and your e-mail address. (Click "comments" below. A window will pop up with a place to enter comments at the bottom.). Leave spaces between your name and the @ symbol, or type out the word "at" to avoid being picked up by those web spider things that steal e-mail addresses and add them to junk mail lists. Or something like that.