The Idol of Sleep
Ipulled only one all-nighter in all my college years, the first semester of myfreshman year. This wasn’t because I was the best student and neverprocrastinated, but because I loved sleep. I wasn’t going to stay up late if Ididn’t have to, and I guarded those precious eight hours of rest.
Whenmotherhood came, eight hours of uninterrupted sleep seemed like a distantdream. But as my daughter has gotten older and sleep routines have returned toa new normal, I have found that what once was a healthy practice of rest is nowan idol in my heart.
Asa young mom, sleep seems like a precious commodity that comes at all costs. Iwas told to “sleep when the baby sleeps,” and I readbooks about the importance of rest. And while what I learned wasgood and true, I was putting my desire of rest above my desire to love God andlove my family. And that’s what an idol is—it’s a good gift of God that takesthe place of God in our lives. It’s when creation rules above our Creator God(Romans 1:25).
Here’show that looked in my life. I would become easily frustrated and bitter when mydaughter would go through a sleep regression. I would go to bed early when myhusband wanted to spend quality time with me after a long day. And, mostgrievously, I would hit the snooze button over and over, knowing that by thetime I woke up, I would have missed that precious alone time with God before mydaughter awoke.
Again,hear my heart, there is nothing inherently sinful about an early bedtime or thesnooze button. But it was my attitude behind these actions. I was prioritizingmy own selfish rest above my relationship with God and with my family. I wouldrather sacrifice alone time with God than sacrifice the extra minutes of sleep.
You are a better mother/father, wife/husband, worker, and friend not when you get a full eight hours of sleep, but when you prioritize your relationship with God above all else.
Whileyour physical rest is important, especially in the early seasons of motherhood,your spiritual rest is more essential than any amount of sleep. Paul tellsTimothy that while taking care of your body is important, taking care ofyourself spiritually is even more important (1 Timothy 4:8). You are a bettermother/father, wife/husband, worker, and friend not when you get a full eighthours of sleep, but when you prioritize your relationship with God above all else.The most important thing you can do for your own health and for your family’sis not to rest more in bed, but to rest more in God.
Believeme, I know how crazy I sound. From a girl who fully embraces a 9:00 bedtime anda good Sunday nap, when God began to reveal this idol in my heart, I wasstubborn. The world teaches us to put our physical needs before everythingelse, but that is not what we see in Christ. After teaching all day long, hewould still rise up early, go to a deserted place, and spend time with Godbefore he would be on his feet all day again teaching (Mark 1:35). More thanthat, He sacrificed himself physically, to the point of death, for the sake ofhis people.
Whilerest is a good gift designed by God since creation, this gift should neversupplant the giver. We rest best physically when we are resting in Godspiritually.
We rest best physically when we are resting in God spiritually.
What does that look like for me now? While I still make sure that I take care of myself by eating healthfully, exercising, and taking time to rest, I remember that these things are only good insofar as they help me serve God and others better. When my sleep gets cut short by a teething baby, I rely on God to give me physical strength to love her, even in my sleepy weakness. When I’ve had a long day and want to rest, I pray that God would give me energy to love my husband well in those last hours. I also remove other selfish obstacles that are stealing time from true rest, like mindlessly scrolling through social media or watching TV. And, most importantly, I aim to sacrifice my snooze button for the sake of those precious, quiet moments alone with God before the busyness of my day. So I encourage you to put sleep (or whatever your idol is) in its proper place. Remember that we best love our families, those around us, and even ourselves, when we love God first.