Sleepless Nights

   Undoubtedly, most of us have suffered through a sleepless night or two. Maybe it was too much coffee in the afternoon, or the determination to watch the rest of the program on TV, or the need to finish that project or a stressful situation that just won’t settle in your mind that has kept you from peaceful slumber. We’ve been there, done that, and the results are always the same … a difficult day following a restless night!

   Did you ever notice that during those sleepless nights, nearly everything is amplified? Sounds are louder and more frightening. Lights are more suspicious, and shadows are more mysterious. Consequently, even though we are exhausted, we just can’t sleep! What can you do?

   When young, our parents might have claimed a “guilty conscience” as the cause of our insomnia. The older we get, the more we find other causes, like eating too much (or not enough), or “worries” about things that wouldn’t bother us if we just get a good night’s sleep to “figure it out” in the daytime! But those sleepless nights still come, and we still wrestle as to the reason! I’m no doctor, and suffer from sleeplessness on occasion as well, but may I muse with you regarding something that helps?

   Did you ever notice how often Christ prayed “all night?” Finding the answer to that question would itself help occupy your awake time at night. My point is don’t waste those hours struggling over needless concerns: talk to God about them! The psalmist did so, and frequently!

   You might try reading, but instead of novels, news, or other worldly things, why not devote that time to reading God’s word? There is a difference between reading and studying. A brother in Christ once asked me if I ever read for pleasure. I replied as he expected, and as most of us would. But I’ve also found that just reading the Bible, the stories within the Old Testament, or the sermons within the New Testament, just reading to read it and appreciate it, calms my mind, grants a peace that soothes my otherwise troubled mind, and I can find peaceful sleep after a few hours … or at times, all night long … and the next day goes along just fine!

   I muse on the best use of time during those sleepless nights and find myself appreciating the occasional “all-night marathon” of reading God’s word! Afterward, nothing was wasted, but instead, I’m refreshed! Muse on that treatment of insomnia and see if it helps you!!