Do I Go To Bed On Time?
Full question: Do I go to bed on time and get up on time?
Read Genesis 2:2-3; Psalm 127:2.
That verse from Psalm 127, "He grants sleep to those whom he loves," is a double-edged sword. On nights when I fall asleep quickly, it's rather comforting. On nights when I toss and turn, it haunts me in the night. Does God not love me today? Or should I not have had that pepperoni pizza at 10:00 p.m.?
Wesley's question about our bedtime habits seems intrusive. Why should it matter what time we go to bed? As I said on Sunday, this question speaks about two parts of our lives. First, it speaks of our ability to live a disciplined life. Wesley himself was very disciplined about what time he went to bed and what time he got up. He was, you might say, methodical about it all. If we don't have discipline about these simple matters in our lives, what hope do we have to be disciplined about any part of our lives, including our spiritual lives? Those practices we value—prayer, Bible study, fasting, etc.—are called spiritual disciplines for a reason. It takes work and dedication to practice them.
But the other thing this question speaks about is how well we do God's work in the world. If we are not getting adequate rest, we are not at our best to do God's work in the world. We will be tired, sluggish, and unable to do all that God calls us to do. We need rest; God himself modeled that in the very creation of the world. He called us to rest in his "top ten" list of commandments. Jesus said such rest was a gift (Mark 2:27).
As I also said on Sunday, I am pretty disciplined about when I go to bed and when I get up. It is amazing, though, how on the days when I don't have to get up, my body still wakes up at the same time! (It's aggravating!) As I live into the discipline of adequate rest, I pray that I am then able to do all that God calls me to do. I only have so many years on this earth; I want them to be used well.
Read Genesis 2:2-3; Psalm 127:2.
That verse from Psalm 127, "He grants sleep to those whom he loves," is a double-edged sword. On nights when I fall asleep quickly, it's rather comforting. On nights when I toss and turn, it haunts me in the night. Does God not love me today? Or should I not have had that pepperoni pizza at 10:00 p.m.?
Wesley's question about our bedtime habits seems intrusive. Why should it matter what time we go to bed? As I said on Sunday, this question speaks about two parts of our lives. First, it speaks of our ability to live a disciplined life. Wesley himself was very disciplined about what time he went to bed and what time he got up. He was, you might say, methodical about it all. If we don't have discipline about these simple matters in our lives, what hope do we have to be disciplined about any part of our lives, including our spiritual lives? Those practices we value—prayer, Bible study, fasting, etc.—are called spiritual disciplines for a reason. It takes work and dedication to practice them.
But the other thing this question speaks about is how well we do God's work in the world. If we are not getting adequate rest, we are not at our best to do God's work in the world. We will be tired, sluggish, and unable to do all that God calls us to do. We need rest; God himself modeled that in the very creation of the world. He called us to rest in his "top ten" list of commandments. Jesus said such rest was a gift (Mark 2:27).
As I also said on Sunday, I am pretty disciplined about when I go to bed and when I get up. It is amazing, though, how on the days when I don't have to get up, my body still wakes up at the same time! (It's aggravating!) As I live into the discipline of adequate rest, I pray that I am then able to do all that God calls me to do. I only have so many years on this earth; I want them to be used well.
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