Sleep

 Sometimes I feel that I sleep too much. I feel God say to me sometimes, "Don't sleep your life away." Usually I sleep about 10 or 11pm to 9am and I take a 2 hour nap at some point during the day. Maybe that is normal, I don't know. 

I might start working at Denny's soon. That is exciting. There goes my afternoon nap lol. But I think it will be lots of fun. I miss being a server. They have no servers for the 2 to 10 shift. If you need work, I bet the Denny's in your town needs people too. Call them to find out. :)

Work makes me think about getting less sleep, so here are my thoughts on verses about sleep...

Proverbs 3:24 

"If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

God wants us to get good sleep. The more we trust him to take care of us, the better we will sleep. As an adult I have never had a hard time sleeping. I love sleep, maybe a bit too much. But as a kid I couldn't fall asleep very well. After my dad messed with me through sexual abuse, that left me with PTSD from age 6 to about 12. My mom used to scratch my back and sing me to sleep to help me relax. Trust that God will protect you so you can sleep better at night. :)

Psalm 127:2 

"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."

Does this mean if you have to wake up at 6am God is displeased with you? What does early mean? As far as going late to rest, I have always felt God didn't want me to stay awake past 10pm. Nothing good happens after 10pm, I always used to say. That generally is true. 

Proverbs 20:13

"Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread."

On the flip side, if you love to sleep in too late, you might end up poor. :( You can work really hard in a short period of time, and then maybe God allows you to sleep more. Or you can barely do anything when you are awake and need less sleep. I have always preferred to sprint over long distance running. I like to do a lot when I'm awake so I feel more ok with sleeping more. :)

Proverbs 6:9 

"How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?"

I always think of this verse when I know I am sleeping too long. I wake up feeling guilty. I think to myself, "Wake up you lazy bum and do something." What is there to do? If you need money, work somewhere obviously. If you don't need money, try writing a blog or making bracelets. I have been having fun making bracelets again recently, which I hope to sell at Denny's. If you know anyone in the Austin area, tell them to come to the Jarrell Denny's and buy some of my bracelets. They are $5 each. :)  The cutest thing I am making is matching mother/daughter bracelets. 

Matthew 11:28-30 

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

God's work for you is easy. I remember I said this to a pastor's wife I knew who seemed like a workaholic. I was thinking, "Good Lord woman when do you rest?" I texted her once, "Remember God said his burden is light. Keep it light." We can tend to try to make ourselves do too much. Does God want you to do everything you are doing? Maybe he wants you to sleep more. Don't sleep too much, but it is pretty important that you sleep enough, which is 8 to 10 hours a day. Or you can be like me and sleep 14 hours a day but get a lot done while you are awake. :)

Ecclesiastes 5:12 

"Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep."

I totally get this. If you have a physical job, sleep will be wonderful to you. I don't get why rich people might have a hard time sleeping, maybe because they feel guilty that they have plenty and others barely have enough. Maybe he has guilt over how he got all that money. I have always felt that people who have a lot got it by being dishonest. That usually is the case. If you know you worked hard for all the money you have, you will sleep better and have more peace. I have always worked hard for any money I got, so sleep came easy to me. 

May God bless you all with great sleep! But don't sleep too much. ;)