For most of us, alertness comes after the second cup of coffee or the morning workout. Thinking about being alert early in the AM is hard for a lot of people. I just happen to be wired to be a morning person so I enjoy getting up early, but alertness is not so great for me later in the day and into the evening. Being alert is a skill. Even when our bodies are alert it does not mean that our mind is the same. We can let our minds drift or be caught up in a different thought and totally miss what is going on around us and while we are totally awake, we are not alert. In today’s business environment, being alert seems more important than ever. Being finely tuned to what is going on around us and being smartly aware of where the business cycle is going as it relates to our own companies and jobs has become important. If for nothing else, there are many people who feel like they need to be this alert for survival in the workplace. The fear of losing a job is still high and the concerns about what will happen next with the economy and employment remains of great interest and consternation. Staying alert has become an important part of what we need to do. But staying alert to the world is not enough. To be totally in touch with ourselves and what we are supposed to be doing with our work and lives we must be just as, and more so, alert and in tune with God as we are the with world we live within. Jesus told his disciples to stay alert in Mark 14:38; “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overcome you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak.” Today, gauge how alert you are and not only how alert you are to the world around you, but to what God has in store for you and what He is trying to say to you. This is the level of alertness that He wants from us and His words are as true for us today as they were for His disciples.

Reference: Mark 14:38 (New Living Testament)