Day Four: Sleepy

Last night I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about all the things I needed to do in the next couple of days. I know everyone can relate: not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. The problem is, my stress caused me to stay awake, which caused me stress that I wasn’t falling asleep, which caused me to be restless instead of resting, which has made me so sleepy today, which caused me to be more stressed that I’m not being more productive… Can I get off this merry-go-round of a run-on sentence, please?

I think it’s so easy for us to say, “Just relax, it’ll all work out!” But why is this calm mentality so difficult to actually enact? Particularly when the anxiety of the present moment directly pushes against movement in the right direction?

I wish there was some all-encompassing solution to every problem, but I know first and foremost, I need to get some sleep tonight. Which means I need to prioritize what I can do in the remaining time I have this evening. Which means I have to be realistic and say, “No,” when I probably would prefer to say, “Yes.” Which is a word I hate…. Here I go again with these run-on sentences!

Unfortunately, the reality is that my grammar is not the only thing that suffers when I am too overwhelmed to devote the necessary attention to the things that matter. Tasks go awry, peoples’ feelings get hurt, and I become a short-tempered, overly-sensitive agitator. Suddenly, rest’s vital role shifts from not only providing me with energy…but with purpose.

Matthew 6:26-27 says, “²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

I cannot add another hour to my day; something else has got to give. Unimportant to-do items? Yes. Distractions? Goodbye. And worry? An absolute requirement. The presence of faith does not mean a lack of stress but rather the acceptance that it cannot be given anymore power over circumstances…or ourselves.

Prayers for sweet dreams, friends. And even sweeter daylight, no matter the situation.

Food for thought: What is a sign you are allowing stress to control your decisions and demeanor? What are ways you can find peace?