Skip to main content

Giving Up On Good: Sleep

I learned about this link up on Jessi's blog (btw, be sure to go there and link up too!) and liked the idea of giving up one good thing in order to gain something better, but nothing was really coming to mind for me to personally give up on.  Finally, I thought of one. 

Sleep.
And the timing couldn't really be more appropriate because it's something I've actually really been working hard on in the past couple of days.

I really really like early mornings.  I love having coffee (with lots of creamer) in one hand, my Bible (and journal) in another and a comfortable amount of time to spend with my Lord Jesus.  If it wasn't for Him, I probably wouldn't really care for mornings- at least not as much as I do now- but it's a sweet, peaceful time to think and pray and soak in what He has for me before life starts getting very loud, as it so often does throughout the day.
There's just nothing like spending the very first part of my day with Him and I have found that it's hard for me to find time to be with just Him if it doesn't happen then.  That's why I'm giving up on sleep.
Not all sleep (obviously).  Just the sleep that becomes an idol.  Because it does become an idol when I choose it over time to spend with the Lord.
And the thing is, it's not that when I have to miss a morning of being with Him, I've sinned.  It's really not all as black and white as I would see it. It's about my heart. This verse from 1 Samuel 16 is a refreshing reminder:
. . ."The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (verse 7)
In my heart, do I value sleep (and therefore my comfort) over spending time gaining knowledge about and deepening my love relationship with the Lord?  Like I've said before, it's not about time spent, but how I use the time I have.  The condition of my heart will eventually be displayed through the ways in which I choose to spend my time.
So, even if it means I have to go to bed earlier (boo! cause I'm a night person) or drink two cups of coffee instead of one (which I wouldn't mind at all actually), I'm giving up on sleep.

Popular posts from this blog

Post Prompts I

I googled blog post prompts just for fun and found a website with a whole bunch.  Rather than writing whole posts on some of the topics, I decided to do interview style responses. Write about the first time you broke the law. When I was 4, stole a handful of grass seed from a store. Felt awful but never admitted to it untill way later. They knew I was lying but never prosecuted (is it even possible to prosecute a 4 year old?).  I discarded the evidence onto their lawn as soon as I got out of the store (I guess that was sort of smart).  Why grass seed? Good question.  Your favorite vacation spot or place that you've traveled to. An Island in Malaysia called Redang. Everything about that place looked like those tropical photos you secretly doubt the existence of.  Straight up B-E-A-U-tiful. Write about the passing of a loved one. My Grandma died 2 years ago on the 4th of July (ironic, don't you think?).  For me, the whole experience wa...
Read more

From desiringGod Blog

From a blog I follow called  desiringGod .  The whole website is full of truth.  I encourage you to check it out.  I've enlarged and boldened sentences I think are especially well said.   Not Your Mother's Kind of Tolerance by Jonathan Parnell | August 2, 2012   Views that advocate same-sex marriage are free to exist, but they are wrong. Now, stop. Read the above sentence again. Are you okay with it? Chances are how you feel about that statement indicates your understanding (or misunderstanding) of tolerance. D. A. Carson, in his book, The Intolerance of Tolerance , explains that Western culture isn't exactly firing on all cylinders when it comes to knowing what tolerance is. He distinguishes two different concepts of this word: old tolerance and new tolerance. Old tolerance — that is, before the onslaught of postmodernism — defines the concept as to "accept the existence of different views." New tolerance, however, defines tolerance ...
Read more

We Meet Again

Well, to say that it feels weird to be here again is an understatement. This is a little emotional for me and I'll try to explain why. Firstly, it's been a while since the last time I wrote here. When I typed the address into the search bar, I was actually surprised that a 404 page didn't show up and that, instead, I saw a familiar title and design come up on the screen. There it was - my own writing, published on a web page I undoubtedly spent hours adjusting and tweaking until it was just right, down to the blue and green squares I painted  by hand, scanned into a computer and digitized the old fashioned way with....wait for it.....*Microsoft Paint*.  Illustrator? Pshht. Who needs that when you've got the grandmother of graphic design tools for FREE on your receptionist job work computer? (sarcasm, of course. Adobe, baby, I love you.) But even the details and designs of this page speak to the reason why this is emotional for me. All of the things about this blog that ...
Read more