Sleep

I can only remember two times in my life when I've slept the sleep of the dead, so to speak.

The first was on a flight from New York to Africa by way of London for a mission trip. Our coordinator had recommended taking melatonin supplements to ease jet lag and help establish new sleep patterns by regulating sleep-wake cycles. What she meant was, if you want an herbal method for inducing a 12 hour coma, try melatonin. Let's just say that my team mates were not thrilled about having to drag me from one plane to another.

The second time was right after an emergency c-section to deliver my son. The anesthesiologist leaned down and said, "I'm just going to give you a little something to help you relax" and 2 hours later I woke up with no idea where I was and more rested than I have felt in 27 years.

I wouldn't say that I am an insomniac, per se, I can sleep...just not well and not for long. I usually get about 4-6 hours of sleep a night which is land marked by shifting, turning and adjusting about every 20 minutes. As I lay in bed last night, hours after my husband and son had fallen asleep, I looked over at the video monitor that shows my son sleeping in his room. For a solid hour I watched him toss and turn, grunt and groan, completely unable to rest peacefully. I suddenly felt very sad for him for of all the things he could have inherited from me, this particular affliction would be at the bottom of my list. It is sad but I've always thought of sleeplessness as an affliction until I heard a sermon by my good friend and co-worker, Tim Spivey, a few years ago called "When God Has Something To Say." In his sermon, a running dialog from a night of insomnia, he mentions that his dad once told him "If you can't sleep, pay attention because the Lord is trying to tell you something." Now, when I have one of those restless nights, instead of getting frustrated or annoyed because my husband is two hours into a deep sleep, I listen.

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings
Psalm 63:6-7

Your thoughts?