Running from the Sleep Monster

20120625-083634.jpg When my son goes to sleep he doesn't first stop to consider where he is, what is going on around him, or where he might be headed. If he is sleepy he does one of two things; he either tries to fight off sleep and becomes irritable and cranky, or he just eases straight into rest. As anyone who has ever cared for a small child can probably tell you, they can sleep pretty much anywhere so long as they bypass, or make it through, that irritable restless phase my wife calls "running from the sleep monster".

The seventh verse of the thirty-seventh Psalm begins with this phrase, "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him..."

Often I find myself getting antsy and fidgety when it comes to expecting something from God, but the proper response in such a situation is to simply wait, or rest, in Him. But like so many others, I am often not content to wait--sometimes going so far as to think that I can somehow help God in the situation. What actually usually happens is that I make myself miserable. Instead of resting in His promise, or on His Word, I manufacture a path of my own choosing. I often walk into what I can see or where I can comfortably understand the way that lies before me. This is folly.

When my son finally gives in to sleep it doesn't matter where he is. He sleeps. And He LOVES it, if he can sleep in mommy or daddy's arms. God is not the "sleep monster". We gain nothing by ignoring His call for us to rest in Him. Take a breath. Relax. Turn your anxiety, worry, and stress over to the Loving Heavenly Father who is far more qualified to handle all your cares. Rest in Him.