Dead Tired

Some people sure do like to talk.

A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, 'Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.' - Acts 20:9-10

This is one of my favorite stories in the Acts of the Apostles.

It reminds me of all the times when I was a child that I would try to stay awake late into the night to hear what the adults were talking about, to be like them.

Eutychus just couldn't stay awake and it nearly cost him his life.

I'm sure we have all felt our eyelids get heavy during long talks, and possibly even some short ones.  But what I find so amusing about this story is the fact that the boy's near death experience didn't phase Paul in the least.  Like a true preacher, he soldiered on, talking for hours through the night until dawn after putting the boy to bed.

I would have called it a night when the first person fell out the window.  To me, that would have been a sign to stop, but not Paul.

As long as someone was still awake, he was going to talk, to get the message out, to keep the discussion going.

There is a lesson in all this, I'm sure, but just what it is I am not so sure.  Should we carry on, regardless in spreading the Word, or should we be more aware of the time and keep our messages short and to the point?

I know many would say they prefer the latter, but what about those who continued to be fully engaged through the night?  They took advantage of the time they had with Paul, and perhaps it changed their lives.

So, a message to all preachers and teachers out there. Pay close attention to your audience.  Make sure there are enough attentive minds to get the message, or you may find them nodding off and falling away.

And if there is one who wants more, maybe a one-on-one talk will suffice.

That's all for now.

Still awake?

More to come...