Almost four years ago, I wrote about sleeplessness. What was keeping me up then, I can’t really remember – but I have a whole new slew of stuff that can steal the zzzzzz’s. Or, more artfully described:
A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow. ~Charlotte Brontë
So, I revised a bit and reposted this to remind me that God [still] is up, all night. And if you, too gentle reader, are sleepless, I hope this puts you to sleep — well, not really.
Sometime in my forties sleep and I parted company. I couldn’t stay asleep for more than a few hours at a time – thus robbing me of charm, resilience, and clear thinking.
Many offered theories but the fact was my age and stage were the most likely suspects; so was caffeine – all those bracing cups of coffee with which I began and ended my day kicked in about 2:00 AM waked me up and heightened all my fears, worries and frustrations.
I corrected some sleep-robbing habits of eating too late, adding exercise, limiting TV viewing – simple pleasures, I call them – that worked against rest. But I still like staying up late, enjoying the quiet that drops like soft velvet after midnight. So, the phenomenon of interrupted sleep continues, especially if I stay up too late, eat too late, watch too much late night TV, drink coffee after 7:00PM, or worry.
Worry’s like a lumpy pillow — not quite comfy, and way too familiar. What can I do with worry? It’s a response I am not proud of — so I often rename it: I am not worried, I am concerned.
And there is much to be concerned about!
Has the news ever been this bad? Scalawags, and scoundrels overshadow politics, the media, and the culture; Mother nature may go on a tear; we are all going broke, getting older, and losing massive amounts of our charm; my grandchildren know more stuff than I did at twenty – and I can’t remember the other stuff that drives me nuts. Nor can I do much about any of it.
- Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday. (Author Unknown)
At least when the Lord admonished Martha to stop worrying, she was getting a meal ready. (Luke 10) When I get into a swivet, I am like a proverbial hamster on her wheel – expending all that energy – and getting nowhere!
A hundredload of worry will not pay an ounce of debt. (George Herbert)
Joseph Cossman, a man who made millions on marketing mail-order, suggested, “If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.”
Because I keep journals, I can go back and see – stuff I worried about rarely happened. Indeed, “Troubles are a lot like people – they grow bigger if you nurse them.” (Author Unknown) Had I spent more time praying, I might have been better able to accept what did happen.
Surely all those unfounded fears, though, are the foundation of specific and personal praise. God has taken care of a bunch of stuff! So, maybe I can trust Him with with a few items that are current charm robbers? Just for tonight, anyway.
Martha came to see the worries she had in getting a meal on the table when Mary would not help, were nothing when her brother Lazarus died! But, how inconsequential did all of those concerns seem when she saw the Lord of Life, formerly her dinner guest, call Lazarus out of the grave! (John 11)
Praying God grants thee and me the desires of our hearts — and the rest to enjoy come what may.
Deep Thotz:
- When at night you cannot sleep, talk to the Shepherd and stop counting sheep. ~Author Unknown
- Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway. (Mary C. Crowley)